Nightingale
by Nightingale123
Summary: It's been at least 5 years since the new princess's Nightingale's mother died. Now in rule is her older brother, Logan who rules with an iron fist. Nightingale tries to bare with the fact that Reaver won't stop annoying her, soon, history will change
1. Chapter 1

**Nightingale**

**Chapter 1: New Beginnings**

**"Change is inevitable. Change is constant."**

**Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) British politician and author.**

**~OOO~**

_The beautiful young woman leaned down and kissed her daughter's porcelain forehead and smiled. "Did you have fun outside, Nightingale?" The girl giggled and opened her gray eyes when her mother leaned away from her. Nightingale had been playing outside with Elliot, her best friend._

_"Yes mama! I got a little thirsty and wanted something to drink, say mama?" Nightingale swayed her a little feet and felt every inch of her wavy long black hair bounce along with her. _

_The Hero of Bowerstone smiled down at her graceful daughter and couldn't help but chuckle at her enthusiasm. "Yes little bird, what is it?" The Queen picked Nightingale up and sat down with her on a comfy armchair, staring into those light orbs of mysterious gray. _

_Nightingale put a hand up to her mother's face and cocked her head to the side, "Does Sparrow mean anything? Mama? Why do you have such a strange name?" Sparrow laughed and then rubbed her nose against Nightingale's face._

_"Sparrow is a type of bird silly, like your name, you were named after a bird also. I was called Sparrow because of my youth, it means to set out into the word. I loved it so much that I decided to stick with it even now. Your father loves to make fun of my name, he claims it to be childish." The Hero made a funny face and smiled down at her daughter. Sparrow and her daughter looked much a like, same facial structure, same hands and feet, and the same eyes and eyebrows. In fact, if you didn't double take, you might even mistake Nightingale for Sparrow's youth. Nightingale was her mother's daughter, but she didn't inherit everything from her mother; she had her father's personality. The same laugh, the spunky and fiery attitude, and the kind and brave heart._

_Nightingale cocked her head to the side and her eyes slowly widened, "I didn't mean to make fun of your name! Mama! I love your name, it's the most beautiful ever!" Nightingale hugged her mother and sighed calmly. Sparrow chuckled and carefully brushed her long and beautiful fingers through Nightingale's jet black hair. "Mama? What does Nightingale mean?"_

_Sparrow continued to brush her daughter's hair and then looked out the grand window, it was a spectacular view, really. You could see all of Bowerstone, even the puffing smokes of the beginnings of Bowerstone Industrial. "Little bird, Nightingale means a small bird with a sweet melody. See?" She looked down at her daughter and smirked. "There's the beak, the eyes, the nose and then wings!" Sparrow tickled her daughter and held her closely, "You sing just like a beautiful bird. Nightingale, little bird, is a wonderful name, and if anyone says something, tell them exactly what I said." _

_Nightingale looked up at her mother and nodded seriously, "Yes, mama." The sound of a clicking cane ringed throughout the room. Sparrow looked up from her trance smiled at her smiling husband and stared expressionless at a tall and lean man; who's smirk spread wolfishly along his face, his brown eyes blinked with curiosity at the bond of the mother and daughter. Reaver. He lowered his ridiculously tall top hat and bowed at the Hero of Bowerstone. "Your Majesty, shall we stroll through the garden, we have much to discuss." He smiled deviously, and indicated towards her husband and the door. They all did have much to discuss. Nightingale turned her head away from her mother and stared observingly at the man who just loved to roll his r's. _

_Nightingale looked back up at her mother and sadly cocked her head to the side, "Mama, do you have to go now? I won't bother you for now, Elliot is waiting for me!" Sparrow smiled brightly at her daughter and kissed her cheek and let the beautiful girl hop of her lap and dust of her pretty dark green dress. The girl's flats clicked softly on the ground as she made her way towards the door. Nightingale hugged her father and looked at the tall, so very tall man. Reaver's wolfish grin spread widely across his face and he gave the little princess a small bow, "Good afternoon, little princess." The girl narrowed her gray eyes thoughtfully at the man with the perfect jet black hair and the strange heart shaped tattoo. "Good afternoon, sir." Then she curtseyed and exited the room, heading towards the kitchen for some water and then running back to Elliot. Maybe even her older brother, Logan would come out to play._

_Sparrow smiled slightly, she missed being 9 years old. _

**~OOO~**

Her shining black locks reached to the end of her hips and her long and beautiful fingers tugged at her spring green long and simple dress. Her eyes closed and she yawned while putting her hands up to her pink lips. Her eyes fluttered and if you listened close enough, you could hear the beating of her thick and long lashes brushing against her porcelain skin. Nightingale opened her mysterious gray eyes and looked into the mirror, the exact image of her mother, except more youthful. Her thick but naturally shaped eyebrows raised when she remembered her mother's natural death, heart failure. Nightingale had only been 13 years old when she saw her mother at her death bed, that was when she gave her a special anklet, said to give her luck and hope.

_The coughing sputtered out rough and wet. Nightingale winced at her older brother's side, gripping his hand tightly. She looked up at her brother and stared at his face, he was trying to stay composed and strong, but you could tell that his expression was going to shatter, like tiny glass particles. Their father sat down at their mother's side and he gripped her mother and kissed her hand continuously, 'Come on Sparrow, love, keep it together.' Sparrow would only smile and reassure her broken husband over and over. The Old Queen turned her gray orbs towards Nightingale and smiled, she held out her hand, beckoning her towards her. 'Nightingale…little bird-' Another round of wet coughing, her mother had been coughing up blood continuously. Nightingale dropped her brother's hand and ran over to her dying mother's side, she gently gripped her frail fingers, once so strong and reassuring._

_'Mother, don't talk so much, your hurting yourself.' Nightingale could feel the heat creep up to her cheeks, she soon even felt warm tears slide down her now pink cheeks. Sparrow weakly giggled and brushed her daughter's hair, 'Nightingale, hold out your hand.' Nightingale cocked her head to the side and just listened to what her mother said, she held out her delicate looking hands and just wondered what her mother possibly meant. _

_The Hero of Bowerstone's shaking hands dropped a slithery black anklet into her daughter's hands. Nightingale stared down at the strange anklet with curiosity. A single beautiful charm of a bird dangled from it. Nightingale looked desperately at her mother and then kissed her hand. Sparrow began to brush Nightingale's hair again and spoke carefully, 'Wear this anklet, may it bring you luck and hope, I never doubted it once. Can you guess what type of bird that is, little bird?' _

_Nightingale stared harder at the anklet and then realization hit her, 'I-is it a Sparrow, mama?' The Queen chuckled silently and shook her head, 'No little bird, it's a Nightingale. Put it on, I want to see you wear it in front of me, I'll be set in peace, please, little bird?' Nightingale's eyes widened and she shook her head, 'Y-yes! Of course mama! Look, I'm going to put it on!' She watched as Sparrow's eyes began to open and close, her breath slowed. Nightingale sat down on the edge of the bed and lifted her right ankle to show her mother that she had put it on. 'M-mama! Look!' Sparrow weakly smiled and gently gripped her daughter's hand, 'You'll be Albion's new Hero, little bird. Never show weakness. Stay strong.'_

_Then Sparrow sighed deeply and closed her eyes, her grip on Nightingale instantly loosened and she could see her body from down below, she could see her lovely daughter scream for her mother, she could see her son's expression shatter, he began to pull back her daughter. Her husband's tears dripped on Sparrow's paled face and he kissed her one last time before turning towards his offsprings. He hugged them tightly and then turned to their family butler, Jasper, he shook his head and told him to get a funeral ready. Nightingale tried to stop sobbing, she knew it would only hurt her dear mother's soul even more. Logan swallowed a breath and hugged his sister and father. For he knew he was next to rule._

Nightingale closed her eyes and then when she knew she was composed she opened them. Nightingale opened her eyes to see her silly grown collie staring at her with a sort of whimper escaping his lips. Nightingale cleared her throat and then laughed, she kneeled down and waited for him to jump on her. He instantly cheered up and galloped towards her, his tongue sloppily hanging out the side of his mouth. Nightingale hugged him gently and rubbed his black and white fur coat, "Oreo! You silly boy! Did you have a good nap?"

The collie only blinked at her and wagged his tail, she smirked and forgot, "Of course you can't understand human speech, where's Jasper boy?" Oreo hopped up and down and pointed his nose towards the door that exited her bedroom, soon she too could hear the footsteps of her faithful family servant. Oreo galloped up to a shocked Jasper and then began to lick his hand. Oreo had been around ever since she was 15 years old. Logan and Nightingale happened to find him wandering the streets as a puppy looking for some food, they urged Jasper into letting them keep him. Jasper couldn't help it, he had just shrugged and nodded, 'I know your father wouldn't mind.'

Jasper wiped off his hand with a sort of disgusted face and then wiped back his white hair. He brightened instantly when he saw the Princess ready for the nearing afternoon. "Ah! I see that your all clean and bright. Did you sleep well, Princess?" Nightingale shook her head and smiled at Jasper, "Nightingale, you know I feel awkward when you call me Princess." Jasper chuckled and then cleared his throat, "Well, I just can't help it your Majesty. You may feel free to roam around, I'll clean your room, now scuttle, have fun." Nightingale smiled, flashing a row of perfect white teeth, "Thanks Jasper!" Then she whistled to Oreo and then hustled out of her grand bedroom. Things haven't been too great ever since her older brother, Logan, had risen to power.

Nightingale closed her eyes and breathed in the fine air through an open window, she let the breeze whirl her hair around her porcelain face. "It's a nice day to be outside…and, it's been 5 years since mother died. She would've been proud to see me finally as an 18 year old woman." The collie wagged his tail delightfully and stood up on his hind legs to get a view of the outside world. Nightingale smiled down at him and then narrowed her eyes out towards Bowerstone Industrial, it had produced faster than she had thought, many new inventions and factories had popped up from there. She sighed and then turned away from the window, she was near the War Room now, the place where her brother and his allies and captains discussed important things.

Nightingale looked out towards the sun, "There's an hour until we see Elliot, boy, let's try to slip outside in the mean time." Oreo whimpered, he knew quite well that they had to sneak past Logan, and Logan was quite good at spotting or even hearing Nightingale try to sneak out. Nightingale put a hand on her slender hip and shook her head, "Oh come on boy, don't be such a stick in the mud! Let's go, and no panting this time!" She slinked against the wall and tried to quieten the tiny jingle of her special anklet.

Nightingale began to tip toe silently as she neared the War Room, Oreo had his tail between his legs, she knew he had a bad feeling but she really wanted to go outside and enjoy the fresh air. They couldn't keep her here forever, she wasn't a real bird you know. She didn't have an actual cage. Nightingale slid silently next to the War Room door and listened, she had mastered sneaking around ever since she was young. There was the familiar voice of her brother, Logan, and then there was someone else. Nightingale furrowed her eyebrows as she strained to remember where she heard that elegant fashion of talking from before. Then her eyebrows shot up, he was from her past, she wouldn't forget that day, those eyes or that face. 'What was his name…? Weaver..no, Reaver. How annoying, he still rolls his r's.'

Nightingale wasn't particularly fund of Reaver, especially after all of the things she had been hearing about him. That he over works his workers, sends children to labor and has too many parties, she almost forgot about the millions of affairs that he's known for. Another thing that sent chills down her spine, he never misses a damn shot. Him and his stupid Dragonstomper .48. She felt the tiny hairs on neck stand up straight, Nightingale shook her head and then looked down at Oreo and put a finger up to her bowed shaped lips.

Nightingale began to slowly take her steps, taking her time to cross the distance between the two double doors to the War Room. The door was slightly jarred and she could peek inside to see her brother's back facing her and Reaver's front side facing the door. She glowered at him before trying to take another step when she heard the clinking of a teacup resting against it's saucer. "Nightingale, sister, are you going somewhere?" Nightingale froze where she was, he had a stern tone in his voice and she didn't like the feeling in it.

Nightingale glared at the jarred door and silently began to list a couple of vulgar words through her mind. She knew he wanted her to enter the room and that he wouldn't let her go anywhere without answering his question. Throughout the years, he had changed, from an awkwardly warm brother to a tyrant. Nightingale, peeked through the jarred door to see Reaver staring at her with an amusing look on his face. If she had her bow and arrow, she would have stopped the smile from spreading any further. It freaked her out. Logan cleared his throat and she knew that was the signal for his irritation.

Nightingale sucked in a deep breath and looked down at Oreo who was ready to start growling, she gave him a stern look and then entered the War Room, head held high and confidently. Nightingale concentrated on the jingle of her anklet as she crossed the room, closer to her tyrant of a brother and closer to that perverted creep of an industrialist who kept staring at her face. 'He's just trying to make me feel awkward, he' s just being an asshole.' Nightingale stood to the side of her brother and reverted her gray orbs down towards the side of his face, analyzing the scar that stretched across his cheek. "Brother, I was just going to go outside…fresh air, sing a bit, and…Elliot will probably be here some time soon." She bit her lip, she knew Logan didn't really like Elliot.

Logan stared up at his beautiful sister, he sighed and then shook his head, he always had to keep from wavering…she just looked like Sparrow, too much like her, it bothered him. "Nightingale, don't you have better things on your mind. Other than these little games?" He looked at Reaver for a moment and glowered at him, he just loved to admire women of status and looks. Even though Logan acted like a 'tyrant' as he heard from several towns folk, he still cared for his sister's well being and he certainly did not appreciate Reaver looking at her as if she was some type of food.

Nightingale's cheeks turned a dusty pink and she looked seriously at her brother, "Logan. I already finished a few books today, I've perfected another song on the piano and I've already practiced writing. I'm not a bird that can be kept in a cage forever, and you definitely know I am not as obedient as you want me to be." Logan put the cup up to his lips and took a sip, he sighed and then looked back at her, she looked so serious, so mad. "Have you practiced your swordsmanship skills?" Damn it. That stabbed her right in the chest. Nightingale bit her lip to stop from yelling in front of the…guest. Reaver let out a chuckle, "It looks like you've missed a few things, little Princess."

Nightingale glowered at Reaver when Logan wasn't looking, "W-walter hasn't arrived yet, he still must be training the troops, you know he comes around the same time Elliot does." Logan finally folded his hands on his lap and waved his hand, "Fine. But I better not hear anything…strange." Nightingale smiled triumphantly and then looked down at Oreo who was gone from her side and growling at Reaver.

Reaver curled his lips in disgust, a hand swiped a perfect set of hair from his eyes and he glared down at the mutt. He had the sudden urge to just shoot him. Then his eyes shot up to the young and beautiful Princess as she attempted to pull the mongrel away from him. A smile spread on his lips. "King Logan, I do believe we have finished our set of business. Shall I leave?"

Logan looked up at Reaver who was about to kill Oreo where he stood, he cleared his throat and then nodded, "Yes, I do believe we are done, if you wouldn't mind, why don't you show Nightingale out?" He could see a devious smirk play across Reaver's face, why, it even reached that strange heart shaped tattoo of his.

Nightingale's eyes widened and she shot a look at Logan and then at Reaver who stood up to his full height. She had to crane her neck up just to see his face. Her lip curled in an awkward way and she whispered to Oreo, 'Come on you dumb dog, no treats!' Oreo whimpered and with that, he scampered out of the room and stood by the door, waging his tail wildly and sticking his tongue out sloppily. Nightingale hurried after him and then turned down the hall, not before she heard a certain cane tapping after her. It was like her strides didn't even make a difference to him, he was at her side in a second. "Princess, it isn't nice to leave someone who would be willing to escort you out safely." He added with a sarcastic smirk.

Nightingale looked ahead and tried to smile, but it turned into a slight scowl. 'Psh, I don't feel safe with you at all, you might as well shoot me where I stand'. She smirked at her thought and then turned another sharp turn and smiled down at her collie, trying to keep that idiot out of her mind.

Reaver easily followed next to her and smirked, she was being unreasonably hard to get. But, he would not waver. "Your Majesty, I would love to escort you properly to the destination you desire." He looked down at her small but curvy frame, and decided to judge her in his mind. 'Hm…she looks so much like her dear mother, if only her attitude wasn't so stubborn. Damn her father to the Void…I would just love to see how she does in bed…' he smiled wolfishly and then held out his arm for her to take. Reaver just wanted to see that lovely face's reaction, he just wanted to mess with her mind.

Nightingale tried not to glower but she could feel one of her eyes twitch when he requested to take her properly out to the garden. She looked up at his smirking face and then his white coated arms. Then his deep deep purple gloves. Nightingale deeply hated his outfit, a white suit with strange ruffles and a crazy long top hat with some googles on it, it made her wonder about his damn fashion sense. And that Dragonstomper .48 strapped to a holder that wrapped around his thigh, it made her bite her lip. Nightingale looked down at her collie who whimpered at her, she gave him a sympathetic look and then turned her attention back to Reaver's outstretched arm. She glowered and then wrapped her hands around it. Personally, Nightingale would rather dance with a Balverine.


	2. Chapter 2

**Nightingale**

**Chapter 2: Broken in Half**

**"Rise up; this matter is in your hands. We will support you, so take courage and do it." **

**Ezra 10:4**

**~OOO~**

Reaver glanced down at the young princess with a raised eyebrow, why was she being so dull? The princess may be very droll but she was boring him to the Void. He looked down at her hands and smirked at her tightened fingers, any tighter and she may even tear through his extremely expensive jacket. Reaver's voice rang along the corridor, he knew they were almost outside and that she would run from his tight grasp. "My dear little bird, why are you deathly quiet? You know, I don't enjoy a chat with my self when there is such a beautiful young woman in front of me, tut-tut~!" He exclaimed with an amused smile.

Nightingale continued to stare straight ahead without any remorse. Then an unintentional sigh escaped from her slightly parted lips. "Mister Reaver, please if you will, do not call me little bird. It's a very special name and I only reserved it for my family. As for your question, well…" she added with a silent chuckle. "You are just escorting me, I don't need to have anything to do with you." Nightingale looked down at her dog who scampered ahead of them, he looked as if he were laughing because a strange gruff noise escaped from his sloppy mouth. 'I guess you sort of do understand human speech.' She smirked evilly but made sure to hide it by concentrating on the collie.

Reaver frowned a bit, especially when the dog made a strange gurgling sound that made his frown deeper. 'Annoying little mongrel, I'll shoot you whenever I get the chance.' Reaver 'tsked' and then shook his head, his devious smile gracing his delightful face once more. "Oh, Princess. That really did sting a bit, but I will do as you wish." He looked at her face, 'Oh dear, you are so very droll. Just like your dear mother, she never did lose her interesting personality.' Reaver opened the door for the young Princess and watched as she sadly let go of his arm and walked out into the clutches of the delightful breeze.

Nightingale sighed in relief once she let go of that deviant's arm and breathed in the comforting air. The Princess scanned the sky for time changes and then smiled, 'Elliot should be done soon!' There was a sense of security when she mentioned that to herself. "Thank you Mister Reaver, for holding the door. Now, I do believe you have done me as well as my brother a kind favor." Nightingale shifted her gray orbs at the tall industrialist and cocked her head to the side observingly. 'The sooner we say goodbye, the more safe I'll feel.'

Reaver smiled at the stubborn Princess and bowed his head slowly, emphasizing his point as well as adding a little tease. " My dear, it was my duty to do you kind! And please, feel free to call me Reaver, you make me feel as if I'm a stranger." He said with a twisted smile. 'She will probably be on her way now, tut, it was so fun watching her continuously changing facial expressions. Sigh, maybe another time.' He tapped his cane impatiently. Reaver was not a patient man, he was not one at all.

Nightingale curled her lips into a fake smile as she quickly looked at his cane and then back up at his face, she curtseyed, "Will do, Reaver. Perhaps we shall meet again." With that said and done, she gave him an expressionless look and then turned away from him, quickly walking along with her brave collie. Once she was out of his plain sight she sighed in desperate relief. "Oh dear, Oreo, we're finally out of that mess! Come on boy, let's go take a look around town, shall we, while we still have this freedom." Little did she know that the industrialist trailed after her in boredom, not having anything to do for at least 30 minutes.

Nightingale walked into Bowerstone Market with a bright smile on her face, the nobles and regular townsfolk bowed as she swayed by, returning the favor. Oreo hopped around his mistress and barked happily. Nightingale laughed and then leaned down rubbing the collie behind the ears, controlling his sudden jitteriness, she can't blame him. Being stuck in a castle under strict rules wasn't fun, not at all. Soon she heard the strings of a delightful lute, Nightingale trailed after it to find Bob, one of the townsfolk, playing away to a lovely tune that she knew. Nightingale ran up to him and smiled, "Shall I grace you with a dance and a song?" Bob the lute player chuckled and nodded, waiting for the delighted Princess to catch the beat.

Reaver slinked near the shadows where the Princess could not catch his devious looking eyes, 'My, my, what a naughty Princess indeed.' He chuckled lightly to himself and gently tapped his cane wherever he strutted. Reaver leaned against a pillar and watched the Princess carefully dance along with the beat and sing delightfully. My, did she have a wonderful voice, the type of voice you would want whispering in your ear during the most intimate moments. His eyes glittered with amusement and he did all he could in his power to not embarrass her. 'If I could lure her, I could earn whatever position I wanted. More rewards, more treasure…more fun. That sounds wonderful! It would take time, time indeed.' He sneered to his self while watching the Princess bow to the gathered crowd. 'My, what the King would do to find this juicy gossip out…no, I'll keep it for my own personal entertainment, I'll blackmail her.' Reaver raised an eyebrow when he saw the Princess gasp and run back to the castle, it looked like her time was up. He clapped lightly to his self and yawned. It was about time to get back to work, he went back to his carriage and set off for Bowerstone Industrial.

**~OOO~**

Nightingale embraced Elliot with a warm hug and smiled once she stood back a few steps. "It's nice to see you, Elliot! Did you train well, did Walter pressure you?" Elliot was a tall boy who was a couple of months older than her, they had known each other practically since birth. He had a cute shaggy boy cut that suited his face well; his brown hair barely covered those pools of brown orbs. Elliot laughed and held his hands up in a surrendering way, "Woah there Night! One question at a time!" They both took a second to laugh it out, finally Elliot cleared his throat and leaned against a rail, looking out towards Bowerstone Market and the peaks of Bowerstone Industrial. "I did train well, I may not be the best swordsman around, but Walter says I'm improving well! As for your second question, he did what he's good at. He scolded me here and there, pushed me until I showed him alright! Walter was happy to see my improvement." Nightingale walked up to him and leaned against the rail, she gave him a slight smile when he looked her way and nodded.

"That's nice to hear, it's good Walter is giving you the spirit." She nodded contently. Elliot sighed and then turned his head back towards the horizon. "Everything just seems to be in all a big jumble, people don't seem to be taking well to Logan's ways. Do you think it will get worse? People are living in poverty on the streets, kids in child labor…I still miss the times when none of this nonsense existed." Nightingale shifted her head seriously at him and noticed that he had been watching her, waiting for her answer. She blinked her gray eyes and then looked down at her hands. "To be truthful, I think it'll just get worse. I still remember when Logan ruled so peacefully, but we saw how long that lasted. It'll only get worse." She sighed in frustration.

Elliot looked at his crush and cocked his head to the side, observing her graceful features. He knew she was thinking about her mother and how much she missed the old times, then something clicked in him and he snapped his fingers. "Night! You could be the one to get everything under control! Maybe you can help the people of Albion!" Then he shifted his brown orbs excitedly at Nightingale whose mouth just seemed to have dropped completely, he chuckled at her reaction and held her hand, then looked down at Oreo who had whimpered slightly. With his free hand, he patted his head gently, as if to tell him that he'll make his mistress feel better. Elliot reverted his attention back to Nightingale who seemed to have gently tightened her grip on his hand and was staring at the horizon.

Nightingale looked away from the horizon and stared back into Elliot's eyes, "You can't possibly think that Logan who listen to me, that's a fool's path." She watched him shake his head slowly, "No, I don't think it's a fool's path. Who says you have to tell Logan. You can start small and then grew wider and bigger. Help the people in Bowerstone Market and then see what you can do with the other problems. Nightingale…I have a prosperous vibe coming from you, I know there's something in you." Nightingale smiled a white toothed smile and rested her forehead on his, she could feel the heat of Elliot's face emitting from him. "I'll see what I can do."

Elliot blushed when Nightingale leaned her forehead on his and he sighed quietly in relief when she agreed to his plan. Whatever path she chose, he was willing to walk in her footsteps with him, he knew she was her mother's daughter. Nightingale would never continue to see Albion rot like this. Then his eyes widened, he moved away from her warm encounter and looked up at the sky, "Night! Walter is probably looking for you, we have to get moving!"

Nightingale's eyes widened when Elliot mention Walter, she grabbed his hand and they both began running towards the kitchen, a warm place where both the teenagers had played in during their childhood, then, everyone was happy and filled with joy. Nightingale sighed in relief when she saw the old and tall buzzard come in view. Walter was in his usual regalia, a red complicated captain's suit with his pistol and sword ready to be pulled out in times of need. Walter was like a father figure to Nightingale when her own father had left her and Logan, he just seemed to disappear out of thin air, too depressed from their mother's death to even give a sideway's glance.

Elliot came to a stop next to Nightingale and smiled at the tall Walter, "Nice to see you again, Walter. I assume your looking for the Princess?" Walter rubbed his gray beard and mustache and smiled warmly at both of them, "I was starting to wonder if I would bloody see you two again. Both of you run into your own little dimensions." Nightingale chuckled alongside Elliot, then Walter looked at Nightingale. "I do believe you owe me a sword lesson today, Princess? Shall we get going?" Nightingale sighed in a frustrated way and nodded while Elliot flashed a smile at her.

Nightingale released Elliot's hand to his dismay and then followed behind Walter into the kitchens. Walter held out a hand in front of them and pointed towards the kitchen staff who seemed to be having a large dispute over Logan and how much food they were to make and how much spice and ingredients to stir in. Elliot's eyes widened with excitement, he put a hand on Nightingale's shoulder and gently shook it, "Night! This is the perfect moment, why don't you give them a mind stirring speech! It'll definitely change their thoughts about you, they could even side with you! Give it a shoot!" Walter turned his head to listen to Elliot and clasped his hands together, "That's a brilliant idea, Elliot. Princess, I also side with him. Why don't you give it a shoot, it couldn't hurt." Nightingale felt the hairs of her neck stand up, she gulped a breath of air and looked over at the two men before walking closer to the kitchen staff. She cleared her throat to get their attention.

Nightingale rubbed her arm a bit when the staff quickly quieted down and stared at her intensely. "I-I know King Logan hasn't been making the smartest or the nicest decisions in these past years, but I would like you to know that I appreciate your tolerance for him and me, I appreciate everything that you staff do for us. Please, if you will, hold on a bit longer. I want to help in every way I can. So, please. Just hold on. Thank you so much." Nightingale was stirred by her own speech. Everyone just gaped at her, then they silently clapped with a few 'hurray's' here and there. Nightingale bowed and smiled brightly at Walter and Elliot who clapped for her in return. Walter than pulled Nightingale along and said, "We have to get to our sword lessons, Princess." Elliot waved at both of them and smiled, "I'll see you both in a while, take care of her while I'm gone, Walter!" With that said, Nightingale and Walter moved out of his plain sight and continued down the hall towards the main stairs.

Nightingale saw Walter sigh in frustration, ahead of them, a round of people and their leaders yelled a petition, trying to get people to side with them and go against Logan. She bit her lip, what they were doing wasn't exactly playing…smart. Walter walked up to a leader and the man held out a board with a petition paper on it and a pen, "Oh, Sir Walter! Please, sign our petition, we would really appreciate it!" Walter rubbed his beard and then looked over at the Princess, "I doubt my name will do much, but, what about our Princess over here?" Nightingale's attention snapped up to Walter and she stared at the man who was just as shocked as well, he cleared his throat and smiled. "Alright, that seems reasonable. Please Princess, what do you say?" Nightingale looked into those pleading eyes and smiled brightly, she knew this had to be done, and there was no way she would sit around and watch the people of Albion wither away. "Of course." She signed it and then handed it back to the man, "There you are sir. Thank you." The man bowed graciously, "N-no! Thank you Princess!" Walter patted the Princess's back and moved her along to the Training Room.

**~OOO~**

Nightingale swung the sword hard and fast at Walter and closed her eyes as she saw the metal clang with metal making an eerie metallic sound escape into the air. Her body fell forward as she felt the sword slice through Walter's borrowed one. He rumbled with laughter, "Would you look at that? You bloody ripped the sword right of it's hilt, slashed right through it! May I say, that I am proud to see that you've been making great improvement. Just as fast and devious as your mother was." Nightingale stared open mouthed at the sword and laughed, "Thank you, Walter." Suddenly the door burst open and Elliot scrambled in, "Walter! Night! There's a commotion, the petition leaders are being sentenced! Come on!"

Walter threw the sword down and Nightingale did the same, she ran after Walter and Elliot and stopped just in time to see Walter block both of them from going any further. "Both of you, stay put and don't move anywhere else. I'll take it from here." Nightingale gave Elliot a worried glance and watched Walter swiftly enter the Throne Room. Elliot paced back and forth, "Night. We can't just stand here! Come on, let's see what we can find out." Elliot sneaked up to the door and then peeked through the keyhole, he whispered her over, "You can see them, come here." Nightingale slinked over and stared through the keyhole.

Logan stared gravely at the petition officers and shook his head, slightly pacing back and forth, never meeting eyes with Walter, his father like image. Walter watched him back and forth. "Logan, please, don't be so rash. They don't mean any harm!" Logan finally snapped his head in Walter's direction and glowered, "They must pay for their disobedience, one way or another." Walter tried to walk up to Logan, he reached out, "Logan, I'm begging you not to do this!" Then he was knocked down with the guard's gun. Logan stared down at Walter expressionlessly and replied, "Don't tell me what to do."

Nightingale's eyes widened and she looked over to feel Elliot nudge her back to consciousness, "We can't just stand here, come on, your the Princess. You can make a difference, maybe you can change Logan's mind." Nightingale furrowed her eyebrows and nodded sternly, then she slammed opened the double doors to the Throne Room and looked at her brother with the most stern look he'd probably seen, "Stop. Logan." Logan looked up from Walter and stared at his sister, "Ah, Nightingale. You came at the right time. Seize them, they both have disobeyed me." Nightingale struggled with the guard who gripped her wrists mercilessly, screw Logan's personal guards. The under payment probably caused this harsh treatment, even with the Princess.

Elliot made no move to struggle, he just stared at Nightingale, fear and worry graced his features and he shook his head. Nightingale struggled once more and yelled at Logan, "They were innocent! They didn't do anything! Logan, just let them go!" Logan stared at her sternly and put a hand up to his chin, "They disobeyed the law. In fact, why don't we see how good of a choice maker you are." Walter's eyes widened and he shook his head, "Logan n-" Logan raised his hand and cut in, "No, I want to see her choice. Alright sister, choose. Either have your Elliot executed to save these petitioners, or save Elliot and execute the petitioners." Nightingale stared at her brother in horror, when and how did her ever become so heartless. Why was he torturing her like this. She stared into Elliot's eyes and then the petitioners'. "B-bu-" Logan grew impatient, "Choose!"

Nightingale gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, Elliot was yelling at her. "Night! Do you hear me! Choose me! Choose me! You can't let these people die! Choose me, Night, please open your eyes!" Nightingale shifted her eyes to look up at his stern expression, he was pleading, begging. Then she stared back at the petitioners' all they did was cry and struggle, they didn't defend anyone. Elliot was right, she had to save Albion, and with that came many sacrifices. But Elliot was her special person, her crush, her best friend, her childhood friend, he was like a brother she never had. Nightingale felt tears trickle down her face, she struggled away from the guards and hugged him tightly, "I-I'm so, so sorry Elliot. Please." Elliot stared down at her with sadness, then he did something that he didn't have the guts to do before, he kissed her passionately and then broke away from being pulled away from her. "You did the right thing Night, just never forget this, never forgive him for what he's done. Remember this, I will always be with you, no matter what your doing. And, I love you." Nightingale felt threatening sobs choke her throat. Logan waved his hands, "Take him away." She yelled after Elliot, "I LOVED YOU ELLIOT!"

The petitioners thanked the Princess and ran out of the castle as fast as they could, Nightingale got up off the ground and stared at Logan with the most broken hearted look ever, "I'll never forgive you." Logan nodded sternly, "Good, then you'll never forget this. Guards, take her away to her chambers." Nightingale looked at Walter's grief stricken face as he got up and walked behind the guards. Nightingale kept yelling over and over, that she would never forgive Logan for the action that he had done, a true tyrant with no emotions, a blood hound.


	3. Chapter 3

**Nightingale**

**Chapter 3: Shattered Lives**

**"One doesn't discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time."**

**Andre Gide (1869 - 1951)**

**~OOO~**

The guards slammed opened the double doors and pushed her into her chambers. Nightingale whipped her head around to glower at the walking away guards, she felt tears emerge and glass over her mysterious gray eyes once more. She quickly glanced at Walter who was whispering silently to Jasper, hearing a few grumbles and sad sighs from him. She sniffled a bit and then put her hands up to her head, the sobbing began once more. It was eerie and silent, something you wouldn't want to hear while alone at night.

Nightingale felt arms pat her shoulders and she knew that both Walter and Jasper couldn't do anything but stare at her, Walter sighed and then walked out opening a pair of double doors that led to the courtyard. Nightingale grabbed a glass vase and threw it against the wall in her anger. 'How could he do this to me? When did he become like…like that monster. No, that was not my brother…he killed him…he killed my Elliot. I won't ever see him again.' She rested her hands on her bed frame as if she was leaning over to read a map. Her breaths came out in silent and shuddering pants.

Oreo rubbed his nuzzle against his mistress's leg, trying his best to comfort her. It wasn't working and after a while he began to whimper and scampered over to Jasper, rubbing his nuzzle against Jasper's hand. Jasper looked down at him and smiled weakly at him, "I-It's alright boy. Hold on a little longer." Walter strode back in and rubbed his mustache, "We have to go now, come on Princess. Get a hold of yourself."

Nightingale's shuddering had finally stopped and she turned away from her bed frame, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. "W-what…? Where will we go?" Walter looked at both Jasper and Nightingale, "Out of here, I know a way out. And besides. I had something to tell you during practice, b-but…the distraction. Never mind that, now's the time to show you." Nightingale eyed Jasper and wiped away her wet face and then nodded, "Fine. I'm ready."

Jasper cleared his throat and then looked at Walter with slight confusion. "Won't we need to pack a few things…?" Walter turned away from the raging rain that dribbled from the sky, "No. Nothing, there isn't enough bloody time. We take nothing." Jasper wrinkled his nose in discomfort and nodded, whispering to himself, 'Not even…oh dear.' Nightingale put up her hands, "Let me adjust my dress." She grabbed a fist full of her beautiful dress and ripped it until it reached a little bit above her knees. That way she would move in comfort, she looked down at her trusty brown boots, they didn't need changing. Jasper made a strange squeaking noise when he saw the shriveled fabric but looked away towards the whole new world they were about to discover. Nightingale nodded, "Let's go."

They sulked silently through the courtyard, looking around and making sure that no one was following their footsteps or spying of them. Nightingale felt the bobbing of her wet black mane slap against her back painfully but she ignored it. Nothing was worse than what she had earlier experienced. Walter stopped at a set of stairs and peered down towards the door. Jasper smiled to himself, "I never thought that I would be seeing this place again." Walter looked at Nightingale and smiled weakly, "Albion is in dire need of a new Hero. You are your mother's daughter, it's time that you found out."

Nightingale looked at the door that led to the Catacombs, where her mother was buried and where her father had some time before been buried. Next to each other. Nightingale's father had been found a long time ago when she first turned 17 years old, he was apparently attacked by a group of mercenaries and killed. It wasn't a pretty sight. "Find out what…? Why would we need to go down here to find whatever it is?" So many questions just kept sprouting out in her mind, she knew her mother was the old Queen and the Hero of Bowerstone, but was she really next the so called, 'Hero'?

Walter opened the door which creaked with force. "You'll see. Now come on, we don't have much time." Nightingale pushed the questions further back in her mind and narrowed her eyes, she nodded, whatever she had to face, she was ready. Nightingale followed after Walter and Jasper but turned her head back around to take one last look at her old home, where she had spent her time laughing, sneaking around, having fun and crying when she got hurt, upset when she was caught sneaking…things she would miss. Nightingale felt a strange shudder and turned back around to go onwards.

**~OOO~**

Reaver narrowed his eyes to see where the sad bunch had been sulking off to. He sat in an elegant chair on the balcony that protected him from the heavy rain that just threatened to ruin his hair. A smile found it's way across his features, 'It would be quite bad if this were to leak out…how strange is it that I find the Princess in the most dire situations.' He took a sip of tea and tried not to wrinkle his nose in disgust. This was definitely not the type that he liked, he had to talk to Logan about this, it was by far better than just shooting down one of the folks in the kitchen. Reaver cocked his head to the side in a thoughtful way, 'Why ever are they going through the Catacombs? You'd expect a more secretive way to sneak out of the castle.' Reaver got up and turned to walk inside to find the King browsing through paper work, how boring.

Logan scribbled away with the quill and sighed in frustration. He knew it, he knew that Nightingale and the others had run off, that guard had been right. He knew that Nightingale was special. That explained why their mother, Sparrow, had always taken great care of his dear sister. Logan would have to dispatch his guards after them, but of course he couldn't do that when they were headed towards the Catacombs, he would have to be patient. He would have to wait and see where they would reemerge. Logan looked up to see Reaver delightfully looking at his suit, fixing a displaced hair and watching one of the maids tidy up the room. He sighed in annoyance. His eyes sparked with an idea, Reaver would never back down on some fun, nor would he ever deny more wealth or power. Logan looked up and cleared his throat, "Reaver…I may have a…proposition for you."

Reaver stopped what he was doing and turned his delightful brown eyes towards Logan, he had finally caught the ex-pirate's attention and wouldn't back down until he heard what the King had to say. "Oh. That does sound intriguing, a proposition you say…? Let's have it." He tapped his cane with emphasis. For some reason, Reaver had a feeling that he knew what the tyrant had to say, and with that, the deviant couldn't help but spread that smile higher and higher.

Logan stood up and put his hands behind his back thinking carefully on how to word his proposal, he walked up the the map table of Albion and stared down at it. "I have mentioned the fact that my sister had made a life changing decision today, did I not?" He flashed his eyes up at Reaver for a second and then stared down at the table again. "Why yes your Majesty, I believe you had. What a most untimely demise." For some reason, he could tell that Reaver was smirking. Logan nodded and continued, "Well, it seems as though the Princess, Sir Walter Beck and our family servant, Jasper have escaped."

Reaver leaned down on his cane and stared at Logan with an amused look, he absolutely loved where this was going. "Oh, I see…how depressing. I'm sorry to hear the news. But, may I ask? How ever did you find this out?" He stood up straight again and raised an eyebrow at the frustrated King. Reaver had found out his own way, but how ever did the King find out?

Logan looked back up at Reaver and raised a hand up to his chin, "One of my personal guards had found them sneaking into the Catacombs, I told him not to send any troops out yet. But I will find out where they surface to. Lets get to the point shall we? I propose this. I believe that Sir Walter Beck believes my sister is the new 'Hero' and that she is the destined one to save Albion from my grasps, that she is the supposed one to take after the Old Queen's path. In order to do this, she has to get the people of Albion on her side, she has to travel all of Albion. That means she will be going from town to town." Logan looked up at Reaver to see if he was still catching along.

Reaver nodded and that smirk reemerged once more. "The new 'Hero', oh, how interesting. We'll find that out, now won't we?" Than he cocked his head to the side and listened intently, 'So, he means to say that the Princess will have to start a Revolution? Hmm…that won't benefit me much would it? Unless…?' He would have to decide upon that later. "I do believe that'll be most unfortunate, unless of course you stop them in their tracks. As for passing through towns, I believe that you are suggesting me to keep an eye out for her? And if so, what's in it for me, your Lordship?"

Logan nodded in approvingly, 'Good, he actually wasn't casting a wandering eye on things that shouldn't be bothered with.' He touched the Mistpeak Mountains on the map and then continued, "I do appreciate that you catch on quickly, that would be most appreciated. As for you, I will give you an enormous amount of money, more than you'll be able to count. As well as the ability to have Bowerstone Industrial COMPLETELY in your grasp and if you want more, why not establish something new in Bowerstone Industrial that would suit your needs. I can provide the needs of workers and money if you would want that. All I want you to do is keep an eye around Bowerstone Industrial, if she shows up. Tell me at once."

Reaver chuckled darkly, this was indeed favoring him a lot more than it was favoring King Logan. "Since you are proposing all these wonderful gifts, I most do nothing but accept your proposition. I'll keep my eyes out for your lovely sister." He tipped his top hat and took that as his dismissal and strutted out of Bowertstone Castle. 'It'll be most interesting to see how our little bird will come along. No doubt strongly, considering that she is her mother's daughter.' Reaver smirked and then climbed into his carriage and headed back towards Bowerstone Industrial, which he could completely manipulate in his own way now.

**~OOO~**

Nightingale looked around in awe, the chamber in which mother and father had been buried was beautiful, she had almost forgotten that. Walter quickly paced ahead and then turned to look at Jasper who was still holding a hand to his stomach, Nightingale tried not to snicker, she actually couldn't blame him; taking all this in wasn't an easy task, along with that, Jasper did have a little problem with over exerting his self. He patted Jasper on the back causing him to suddenly lurch forwards, "Oh come on, have some balls. There'll be more from where that came from." Jasper looked at Walter with a weak glare and shook his head, "I'll never get used to that Sir Walter…but I most live with it if it will benefit me in the future." Walter looked at Nightingale and beckoned her forward.

Nightingale walked up to Walter and she felt him gently pat her shoulder, he held his arm out, referring to the whole room and everything mysterious about it, "This is your legacy, this is your future and this is your right. I promised your mother that I would bring you here one day." Nightingale looked around the whole room and then up towards the strange statue that seemed to be praying. It's hands held up to it's chest and it's face veiled with a robe. She raised an eyebrow at it and then looked back at Walter, "My mother knew what…what I was suppose to be?" Walter nodded gravely and then walked over to a column of stones and then counted a couple until he kneeled down and pushed a certain one in. Nightingale's eyebrows shoot up in surprise and she stared at the statue as it began to make a silent creaking noise.

The hands of the statue finally lowered down quickly but reassuringly by a link of sturdy chains. Nightingale began to walk up to it and then stared down in confusion at the strange circle like thing that laid there before her in the hands of the statue. Walter put a hand on the hilt of his sword and smiled slightly, "This was your mother's most prized possession. The Guild Seal. Go on, take it. She left it for you." Nightingale nodded and then took a gulp of air before walking up to it and then picking it up. It was outlined in a strange swirly design with gold and their were two open sections where the gold didn't cut in, they were filed with a bright blue. Nightingale cocked an eyebrow and looked around, "Is s-something suppose to happen?" Suddenly a bright light flashed and she gasped in shock, the next thing you know she was transported to a whole new dimension.

**~OOO~**

Nightingale lurched forward but steadied herself and looked around at the grayish new dimension, her gray orbs grew large. There were large gate ways with the symbol of the Guild Seal on them as far as the eye could see, chests everywhere and the most strange thing was that they led to her old home, the Bowerstone Castle. Nightingale jumped when she saw a strange gypsy like figure in front of her. The woman's hands were gently folded in front of her and her face was veiled with a hood, but you couldn't miss those scary looking eyes. The gypsy figure slightly shifted and you could hear the shrill jingle of the little coin shaped trinkets on the gypsy's outfit. "W-where am I, and who are you?" Instead of sounding calm and composed like she wanted to be, her soothing voice came out as a croak.

The gypsy stared at Nightingale straight in the eyes, "*I am Theresa the Seer of the Spire. I helped your mother fulfill her chosen destiny and took care of her until she grew into adulthood, where she too had to face the trials of being a Hero. Though from what I see, you also have quite a destiny ahead of you, Nightingale.*" Nightingale couldn't help but slightly nod, it wasn't as confusing as it had been when she first arrived. "The Seal has chosen you as the new Hero, it responded to you when it couldn't respond to anyone else. Albion is now in the fate of your hands." Nightingale looked at the Seal in her hands and then back up at Theresa. "As you look around, this is the path known as the Road to Rule, the path which you were born to take and it will only grow smaller as you progress further towards you destiny, but you can't do this alone. You most gather followers and gain the trust of the people of Albion."

Nightingale looked around the grayish world and then once more at Seer of the Spire, she felt sick to the stomach all this information was so much to handle, but she knew that she had to take it one way or another. Theresa was right, this was her future, her destiny and she wasn't going to let anyone down. "You have already the trust of two followers, the old solider, Sir Walter Beck and your trusty servant who will follow you wherever you go, Jasper." Nightingale raised her eyebrows, 'Now that she put it that way, I didn't think about it like that. Now that she mentions it, it makes sense.' The gypsy brought her back to reality, "Now. Open the gates and claim your reward. I wish you luck, Nightingale."

Nightingale jumped a bit when she saw that Theresa had suddenly vanished as soon as she had come. She swallowed a deep breath and pushed open the gates, she walked into the section and stared at the lone chest that awaited her. Nightingale cautiously walked over to it and then touched it. The somewhat rough wood bristled against her soft hand. She lifted the chest and peered inside to find a strange gauntlet. Nightingale raised and eyebrow and began to examine it from every angle, 'What am I suppose to do with this…thing?' Nightingale jumped again and almost dropped the damn gauntlet when the Seer of the Spire popped up again. "Gah…" she squeaked and then gripped the gauntlet to her chest.

Theresa spoke to her as if she didn't even notice that she had slightly freaked the young Princess out. "There is a great power inside you, you just didn't have the proper…means to unleash it…with this gauntlet, you'll be able to channel your Will freely, when you return to the real world, use the gauntlets to channel the power through you. The way out of the castle will open it's gates to you." Nightingale slipped on the gauntlet and moved it around in different angles, she looked back up at the Seer's grave face, "The next time you will come here, is when you have enough followers to pass through the next gates along with the trials that come gaining those certain followers, now go, Walter and Jasper are awaiting you. They will follow you wherever you go, maybe even the rest of Albion will do so in the time to come." There was a flash of light and Theresa pointed at it, "Go through the portal and you will return to the real world. Until next time, Princess."

**~OOO~**

Nightingale held up her hands to her face as the real world flashed in her eyes. She shook her head for a bit and stared down at her right arm, her eyes widened a bit and she looked up at Walter and Jasper who were staring at her most curiously. 'So it wasn't a dream…' Walter put his hands up, "So, you feel…more powerful? Any difference?" Nightingale looked down at her hands and then shrugged, "W-well…I haven't got a clue…" Walter stepped back pulling Jasper with him. "We'll find that out now, stand right where you are on that seal. Now…concentrate or something. I see that gauntlet, you should be able to use at least one of your powers now, the Will. Go on."

Nightingale watched both of them step back, then she sighed and closed her eyes, trying to see if there was a certain cliche or trigger in her mind that would give her the answer she wanted. Suddenly as she searched through her mind, there was a strange feeling, a stronger power, it was being held back…by her own force. She knew she had to shatter it, she had to unleash it. Nightingale shoved against that force with all her power, suddenly it shattered and she felt the power flood through her mind. Nightingale snapped her eyes open, determination enveloped her. She swayed her arms and then pounded her arms down, holding her hands inches away from the ground. The fire circled around her and then disappeared. The seal she stood on glowed briefly and then the ground holding the coffins together had spread a part from each other to reveal a set of stairs that led them underground and away from the confines of the castle.

Nightingale's eyes brightened instantly and she stared as both Jasper's and Walter's mouths had dropped open in astonishment. Walter pumped his fist in the air at the triumph. "It bloody worked! I knew it! You are the Hero!" Jasper nodded his head contently, "I never doubted that." Walter patted Nightingale's shoulders and then stared straight at the door. "When we go through that, there might be a few surprises. After that, the real journey will begin. Determining how you make your decisions, Albion will bend that way. Are you ready for whatever lies in the months ahead of you?" Nightingale looked at her father figure straight in the eyes and nodded confidently, even though she was slightly trembling. "I am ready for whatever lies ahead. I will not let anyone down." Jasper and Walter smiled at Nightingale and they all headed towards their new lives.

**Note: I was so glad to see that I got a review, hopefully there will be more to come. Thank you for reviewing my story so far. Anyway, I wanted to skip ahead in the story, past meeting Sabine, Ben Finn, Major Swift and battling the dead captain. I want to time skip up to the part when they first enter Bowerstone Industrial, lol, my way of trying to get Reaver a more comfortable part in the story. Anyway, while I'm writing chapter four, i will write in the things that the Princess has experienced up to entering Bowerstone Industrial. Feedback appreciated and I would also like to see what people want to see in the story, suggestions are also much appreciated! But for now, I've got a straight path on what I want to twist into the story. Thanks again! :)**

**Oh! And the '*' meant that I actually wrote out what Theresa said, it sounded all epic and stuff. :**


	4. Chapter 4

**Nightingale**

**Chapter 4: Bullet to the Shoulder**

**"All cities are mad: but the madness is gallant. All cities are beautiful: but the beauty is grim."**

**Christopher Morley**

**~OOO~**

Nightingale's eyes snapped open with discomfort, she groaned and then fell off the bed with a jump upon hearing Jasper's voice through the Guild Seal. "Ah. I see, your up a few minutes earlier than you would normally be." Nightingale threw the blankets off of her and sat up, stretching a bit. Then she got up and looked round the inn's spare bedroom. It wasn't the best, especially if it was in Bowerstone Industrial. Months had past since she first received her powers and the Guild Seal. Nightingale remembered when she first picked her weapons out, the weapons that her mother, Sparrow, had left her. A wimpy looking hammer and a rusty old pistol, which to her surprise were now beautifully carved weapons of doom. Her hammer was bigger than her head and yet she was still able to carry it with some what ease. Her pistol lay on her bed side, it glowed a bright blue just like the hammer. One shot from that can cripple a Hollowman easily.

Nightingale reached over and pulled on her blue and white stripped stockings, then she grabbed her short shorts and pulled them up. Nightingale grabbed her leather cotton dark green tank top and pulled on her mercenary officer black jacket. There was no sleeve on her left arm and that way, she wouldn't get too hot. Nightingale stared at herself in the mirror and sighed, she used her hands to brush out her beautiful jet black hair and then stared closely at her gray eyes. Next to them on her skin, it was faint, but you could see the swirling intricate designs. The stronger she got, the more distinct they would become.

Nightingale grabbed her worn out trusty brown boots and strapped them on. Then she grabbed her hammer and pistol, ready to get out of the inn. Jasper's voice appeared in her mind again, "It appears, Sir Walter is still trying to get up. Why don't you wait downstairs for him…it might be a while." Nightingale giggled silently and nodded, "Thanks Jasper." She opened the door to her room and then vaulted past the stairs and picked a seat to sit in while she waited for her father figure, Walter, to show up. Months ago, she was frail and weak, now she was strong hearted and fast…just like her mother. Sparrow, it seemed as though she knew what would happen in the future, she prepared everything for her daughter. Even the place called the Sanctuary where Nightingale first escaped the confines of Bowerstone Castle.

Nightingale leaned her head on her arms and remembered the fight with the dead hollowman captain. Boy, that was a fight, she was surprised she made it out alive. It made her happy to know she had gained more followers though. Ben Finn, the spunky and handsome solider who was ready for anything. Then there was Major Swift, with his overgrown mustache and jolly personality. Nightingale had promised to help them out when she became a full fledged Queen. Let's not forget Sabine and the Dwellers, her mother's magical music box. All those trials she had gone through were worth it. Nightingale had gained followers. She promised the people of Brightwall that she would rebuild the Brightwall Academy and bring it to it's former glory, that was when she earned the title of the Hero of Brightwall.

Nightingale yawned a bit and looked around, everyone had barely enough money to afford a room here, much less anything to eat or drink. She glowered down at the table in front of her, Reaver. That despicable man is ruining everything. The conditions of Bowerstone Industrial had worsened, people were actually dying on the streets now and no one bothered to even give them a proper burial. Everyone was looking out for themselves now. He was working them like peasants, and more people were dying by his hands…she heard just recently that he had shot another one of his mansion staff, the poor girl was only trying to give him the right amount of sugar. Nightingale winced slightly and squeezed her eyes shut until she could feel her thick and long lashes stab at her. 'I'll end it, there's no way I'm going to let this slip past me.'

The chair in front of her squeaked and she looked up to see a yawning Walter, "Did you have a good night's sleep, Nightingale?" He dared not to use the word "Princess" around here, it would only cause trouble. Nightingale smiled slightly and shook her head, "To be honest, no, I've got this strange feeling going on about me. It's more like worry than anything else." Walter smiled at her and patted her small and fragile looking hands, "Don't worry, everyone around here is feeling the same way. Especially with what's been happening lately." Nightingale was in no mood to eat, but she smiled a bit when she saw Walter peacefully eating his food. She leaned across the table and stared at him, "So…what's next on the agenda?" Walter paused for a moment and used a napkin to dab at his mustache. "Page. We are going to meet with the leader of the Bowerstone Resistance, a group of people who are trying to get better conditions for Bowerstone Industrial as well as end Reaver's reign of terror."

Nightingale nodded and then sat back against her chair. Walter stood up and whistled, soon Oreo came down the stairs and jumped up at his mistress. Nightingale laughed a bit and hugged her brave collie. "Hey there boy! Who's a good boy! You didn't give Walter any trouble, did you?" The dog just wagged his tail and stuck out his tongue. She smirked and then looked at Walter for reassurance. Walter chuckled and then shrugged, "He couldn't stop jumping around, but overall he was being a good boy. Now come on, Page will be waiting for us." Nightingale nodded and then began to walk out, whistling to get Oreo's attention.

They began walking along the streets of the filthy pit hole of a city, Bowerstone Industrial. Nightingale watched as young kids fooled around throwing dirt other things at each other, she smiled contently and whistled at a few kids who in turn waved back at her. Walter chuckled, "Happy little bunch aren't they? Considering the conditions they live with." Nightingale nodded and turned her attention straight on. Walter stopped her for a second and then his features grew dark for a short time. "This doesn't sound or look good. Balls, there seems to be a commotion. Come on, let's check it out." Nightingale furrowed her eyebrows and quickly followed after Walter who seemed to be jogging laps compared to her.

They squeezed their way through the crowd of people who held up signs and angry fists, agreeing with the spokesman who stood up on a platform like circle. "Reaver isn't treating us right! We deserve better pay! Better working conditions! Children forced to work! We must stand up for what's right! Who's with me!" The crowd cheered loudly, but little did they know of who stood up on the balcony, gently clicking his cane on the metal bar which casted a strange ear bleeding ring.

Reaver stared down at the dozens of people who formed a mad mob. He cocked his head to the side and leaned against his cane, dissatisfaction written all over his face. He hated it when people disobeyed him. 'Filthy rodents.' He tapped his cane against the railing once, no one seemed to look up, then another time. Finally he grew impatient and cocked his Dragonstomper .48 and aimed at the man who seemed to have the balls to stand up to Reaver…not for long though. _BAM_. The gun shot rung throughout the air, people yelled out and Reaver smirked when the man finally fell down, like the rodent he was.

Nightingale gasped when she saw Reaver up on the balcony, what was even worse was when he shot down the man. The man yelled out and fell down on his side. Wincing at the pain of the shoot. He had apparently got his left leg. She looked at Walter gravely and shook her head, "Keep Oreo here, I'm going closer, I can't continue to see that…monster treat that man like that." Before Walter could hold her back, she had already began making her way to the front. She stood on the front lines and stared gravely at the man with the heart shaped tattoo. He seemed to have seen her. A wolfish smirk spread across his lips before he spoke again. 'That bastard…'

Reaver held up his gun for emphasis and then he leaned against his cane before saying anything. "*But lying down is so much easier than standing up.*" He stood up tall and held his gun to the side, "*My dear friends, to raise moral. I'm offering prizes to the most deserving workers. The rules that govern what I like to call 'The Reaver Team Spirit Award' are these: firstly, any worker that so much as murmurs another complaint will be shot.*" There was a gasp from many workers as Reaver shot the man on his right leg. All Nightingale could do was stare in astonishment, surely…but why would he? "*Secondly, any worker who takes more than a three-second break will be shot.*" Nightingale felt her heart skip a beat, his left arm was shot. She knew where this was going, she just couldn't get herself to move. "*Thirdly, any worker who breaks any other rules I have yet to formulate will, yes, you guessed it…*" Nightingale pushed past anyone who was in front of her and somersaulted up to the platform and squeezed her eyes shut, holding the man close to her, it just seemed to happen so fast. "*Be shot.*" Nightingale gasped as she felt the bullet graze deeply past her right shoulder. What really shocked her was the yell from the man she was holding, his blood splattered across her cheeks. Her eyes grew wide and she stared down at the now dead man. Then she looked up at Reaver with a glare so deadly, she hoped it was sending daggers. Reaver only seemed to have smirked, waving his gun around, "*You may return to work now. As you know, I am a generous man, and likely to start handing out prizes right away! So go on. Shoo! Be off with you! Chop chop.*"

Reaver smiled when he finished his deadly speech. Though what surprised him even more was that the Princess had such a heart as to get shot in the shoulder…and for nothing too! The man had died right in her arms, oh, how depressing…and boring. He turned around but not before giving the injured Princess an amusing side glance. He turned to his maid and sternly whispered, "Be a dear…get the girl and send her to my mansion. I would like to…throughly apologize for her injuries." He gave the girl a slight kiss on the nape of her neck before going back inside to meet the Princess at his mansion in Millfields.

Nightingale felt tears threaten to emerge, she stared down at the man who's eyes gaped up at her, as if they were saying: "Why?" She winced a bit holding back her emotions and the burning pain in her right shoulder. Nightingale prayed for the man and then kissed his forehead, she slowly closed the man's eyes and watched as the people began to scamper off back to work. Nightingale watched Walter look at her with shock, she got up carefully, lurching forward a bit, then she kneeled down and laid the man in a graceful position. His hands laid on his stomach. It looked as though he was sleeping, if you didn't count the blood splotches.

Walter watched as Nightingale painfully climbed off the platform and then quickly made way for her. "What you did was something the people of Bowerstone Industrial will never forget. No one but you had the heart to go up there and make a stand. And if that man were alive, he would forever be in your debt. It's ok, Nightingale, don't cry. Your mother would have been proud." He hugged the frail looking girl and tried to calm down her silent sobs. Walter knew this was getting to be too much for the young Princess, he was afraid that some day the girl would just drop dead.

Nightingale held in her sobs and then looked up to see a young maid stare at her sorrowfully. "M-madam. Master Reaver would like to see you at his mansion. He wanted to apologize for the inconvenience. Please, do come along." Nightingale stared up at Walter with a slightly confused look and then shook her head, "B-but…I?" The girl's perfect mask broke, she grabbed Nightingale's hands and whimpered, "Please! Please, don't do this. He'll kill me if I come back empty handed!" Walter looked down at the Princess who was grief-stricken and then the maid who was pleading, no begging. "A-alright. I'll go, I wouldn't want anything to happen to you. He's been too merciless for too long. Walter." Walter nodded, worry was stitched into every corner of his face, "I'll tell Page that there has been a delay. Don't take to long, and don't get fooled. Reaver is a very…skilled man." Nightingale nodded and hugged Walter before following the maid who had seemed to understand the young Princess's condition.

**~OOO~**

Reaver sat down on his elegant couch and set down his cane and top hat. He clucked his tongue, the man was growing impatient. "Where is she? If that girl comes back without the Princess, I'll kill her." He then got up and looked around his grand living room. Pictures of him filled the walls, statutes occupied corners. He pulled his gun out of it's thigh rest and he cocked it, toying with it, examining it. "Shall I play some target practice in the mean time..?" That wolfish grin found it's way yet again.

**~OOO~**

The maid patted Nightingale's leg, "If I were you, Princess, I wouldn't have wanted to come neither." Nightingale's eyes shot up and she stared at the girl in disbelief, the maid smiled and nodded. "Yes, I know you are the Princess. That elegant look, it could have only belonged to the old Queen." Nightingale couldn't help but smile slightly, "I'm glad we're on the same page about Reaver." She whispered, just in the case the coach driver decided to eavesdrop. The maid bowed her head gracefully, "My name is Elizabeth. But please, call me Lizzie." Nightingale nodded, "Call me Night."

The girl was delightful to look at. The apple's of her cheeks were a soft pink, completely natural. Her long blond hair was thick and curly, it bounced whenever she moved her head, just like Nightingale's hair would do. Lizzie had beautiful aquamarine eyes that had specks of gold in them, something you could stare at all day. Then again, Nightingale wouldn't think that Reaver would have 'ugly' staff members. Lizzie sighed, "We're here, Princess. Please, I wouldn't want you to get hurt, don't say anything silly to him." Nightingale smirked, it was like Lizzie was trying to be motherly. "I can't promise you that."

Nightingale just wanted to drop the towel she held up to her shoulder, the mansion was HUGE. She also would've said beautiful if not for the strange sculptures and paintings of Reaver well…about everywhere. She sneered in disgust and then looked at Lizzie who was depressed to be back in the confines of the mansion. Nightingale couldn't blame her. Lizzie walked up to the butler and said, "Please tell Master Reaver that the girl is here, and also, get a nurse. The girl doesn't seem like she can stand up any longer." Nightingale realized that Lizzie had been right, she was wobbling back and forth. Lizzie held her carefully and maneuvered her to a comfy chair. Soon the nurse bustled in and urged Nightingale to take off her jacket. Nightingale bit her lip and did as she was told, trying not to throw up on the sight of the infected burning flesh, it was still bleeding, though not as much as it did in the beginning.

The doors to a different room opening echoed throughout the mansion, it made Nightingale slightly twitch. She winced a little here and there whenever the nurse tended to the flesh. "I'm sorry deary, but, it's badly infected…and he hit you gravely." Nightingale shook her head, "Thank you, I don't mean to be a hassle." The nurse smiled and she continued to tend to her wound. The clicking of a cane coming down some stairs made the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stand up straight. "Oh, why hello there deary! I see you made it here safely and soundly." Nightingale closed her eyes when the nurse urged her to drink some medicine with some water. She gulped it down and instantly began to feel a bit better. Her skin still felt sore and it kind of burned but not as bad.

Nightingale stared at her shoulder, there was a bandage wrap around her arm and then she jumped a bit to find Reaver standing in front of her. Nightingale glowered at him and then stood up, grabbing her jacket, she began to walk past Reaver, intending on shoving her good shoulder past him. Suddenly she gripped her head and wobbled back. Reaver chuckled and carefully wrapped his arm around her slender waist. "My dear bird, you couldn't have excepted to get better so soon, hmm?" Nightingale elbowed him slightly and then sat back down, gripped her head. The smell of blood in the mansion was getting to her.

Her gray orbs shifted up at Reaver again, "Now, now, that wasn't very nice. Here I am trying to help you…and you give me this." Nightingale's eyes widened as she saw him cock his Dragonstomper .48. "It's a lovely gun isn't it, it's been loyal to me for…hmm…I've lost count! No matter." Nightingale felt her eyes water up again, "You k-killed that man…" all that came out was a strange squeak. Reaver chuckled darkly, "He wasn't being obedient, perhaps he could've earn a Spirit Award, if not for his ignorance." Nightingale sharply stood up, "That doesn't matter! You killed an innocent man! He was saying the truth!" She had enough of this man. She was glad that he hadn't shot her on her left shoulder, sometimes being left handed had it's benefits. Quickly, she grabbed the hilt of her hammer and flung it around, aiming straight for his pretty face, she hoped that her hammer would smash that face into pieces.

Reaver chuckled when the beautiful Princess stood up, then he smirked in amusement as he watched the biggest hammer he'd seen swing his way. 'Someone's being a naughty, naughty princess. Oh dear, this is getting exciting.' What made it even funnier was that she didn't even comprehend his deadly skill, he was after all, the Hero of Skill. He did what most sneaky people did. He ducked and watched the Princess's eyes widened with shock, the hammer whizzed past his head, not even catching a bang of hair.

Nightingale's eyes grew wide and she stared as the weapon was kicked out of her hand, suddenly he tackled her down onto a sturdy couch. Pressing force down on her right shoulder. She hissed with pain. "You asshole!" Nightingale lifted up one of her legs, but he quickly countered it and pinned her left leg down and then chuckled when she didn't learn her lesson, soon both of her legs had been pinned down.

Reaver loved the way she struggled, trying to get an advantage. She would soon learn that she would rarely get an advantage over a man like Reaver. "Ohhh~…someone's being a feisty little kitty. You'll realize…it'll be all in vain." He suddenly gripped her wrists and pinned them above her head, 'She's still trying to struggle with me. Tut, just like her dear Sparrow.' The Princess was glaring daggers at him now, still grunting and wrenching, trying to get her arms free. Why wouldn't she learn…did it have to go the hard way…he chuckled darkly. 'Perhaps.'

Nightingale stared up at the man who had her pinned all ways, there was no escape from his iron grip, no, something stronger then iron. Her legs wouldn't even budge. "Reaver, let go of me at once! I demand it!" She searched across the room for her hammer, it lay there on the floor. Beckoning her to pick it up. Her eyes widened, why was her pistol strap feeling…empty. Her question had been answered as Reaver held both her wrists down with one hand and pressed the barrel of her pistol against the nape of her neck. "Oh Princess…" he purred, "I wouldn't be making demands in such a situation." Nightingale tried to swallow a breath, it felt awkward that her very pistol lay against her throat.

Reaver cocked an eyebrow and leaned in towards her ear, he swiftly glided his pink lips over her ear and whispered, "Perhaps now is the best time to take you back to Bowerstone castle…hmm…?" He smirked and leaned away, watching the Princess bore holes at him. "You see…me and your dear King Logan had this precious deal going on. Tut…what to do…?"

Nightingale's eyebrows furrowed with hatred, she spit at his face and sneered, "You…you asshole." His smile turned quickly into a tight line, he freed one of his hands wiped away the trickle, then his pressure on her shoulder greatened to an extreme extend. Nightingale yelled out in pain, tears spilling out the her squeezed shut eyes. "Maybe…maybe I'll have a little fun with you, before I turn you in at least." He chuckled and then leaned in so close, he kissed her chin. "Or do you have _something_ else in mind…?" Nightingale opened her eyes and felt the tears streak down her beautifully pale face. "Monster." She stared into his brown eyes, they were dark and sinister but she saw flicks of a greenish color in them.

Reaver chuckled loudly, he cocked his head to the side and gave her a thoughtful look, "We can stay in this position for eternity my dear. I would make haste."

**Alright! I somehow got this chapter done! It took me forever to try and at least get Reaver's awesome personality down. I hope everyone likes this, please, Feedback is appreciated! Thank you! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Nightingale**

**Chapter 5: Hatred with a Passion**

**"People like you are the reason people like me take pills!" **

**-Neva Faith Linn**

**~OOO~**

Nightingale glowered at him and thought to herself, 'Oh, how you would love to stay in this position for eternity. Think yourself so high and mighty?' Reaver chuckled at the expression on the rebellious Princess's face.

"If you don't say anything, I'll just assume that you take a liking to this." Reaver tilted his head to the side, he looked less ridiculous without his damn top hat. Though, every single time she stared at that heart shaped tattoo, she swore she could feel her left eye twitch slightly.

"If you don't let go of me, I'll spit at your face again." She hissed with venom in her voice, if there was anything stronger than venom, then possibly that too. Nightingale had the urge to just grab his perfect little head and continuously slam it against a dozen of concrete blocks and count how many times it would take to break the concrete. Surely eternity since his head so full of it's self.

Reaver's face turned expressionless for a bit and then a smirk popped up on his face. 'Alright, I'll play your little game, dear Princess.' Though, he definitely did not like it when she had spit at his glorious face, it was vile that she would do that, a Princess nonetheless! Tut, then again…she didn't favor him quite so. Maybe he could…change her mind? He cocked an elegant eyebrow at her and countered, "Why, my little bird, I would just wipe it away once more." His grip on her wrists slightly tightened, he knew she would retort sooner or later. 'Such a venomous girl.'

Nightingale felt the pressure tightening at her wrists, she gave him a snobby look, which honestly didn't suit her. He was getting impatient and a little frustrated, she could feel the aura around him, but then again, there was a slight twitch of his cheek that had given him away. Nightingale remembered how both Elliot and she would watch the looks of the noble people around Bowerstone castle and imitate them when they weren't watching. They always had a special day for that, every Saturday. Nightingale would boast that she had conquered that look quite well, while Elliot had looked like a bumbling fool trying to imitate the nobles. She smirked at the deviant's response. "Right." Nightingale narrowed her eyes sarcastically at him. "No, you wouldn't do that, because your a sadistic hedonistic freak you would wipe away the spittle before it even reached your face!" The fire in her gray eyes burned, she was sick and tired of him, she had to get to the Bowerstone Resistance.

Reaver leaned in close to her face, she was getting on his last nerve. The Princess's reply did sting, mostly because she had nailed him quite well. That burning hatred in her eyes glowed like a warm fire, it was as if he could feel the heat emitting from them. 'If she wasn't worth something, I would've have shot her an eternity ago. Her mother wasn't this annoying! Maybe just as entertaining, but not irritating.' Reaver didn't deal well with stubbornness, she was being a _royal_ pain indeed. "Princess, where did you ever learn such language! Surely your lovely Sparrow didn't teach you. Tut tut, my dear. My patience has run low. Listen now, would you?" His voice sounded dark and damp, almost eerie. He smiled deviously as he exerted pressure on her lovely shoulder, her mask of pride was breaking.

Nightingale's eyes widened as she stared at the expression on his face, the sound of his voice trickled quickly in her mind. It was like burning acid, tainting her everywhere she turned. Her mind was screaming at her, dulling any sound around her, it was warning her to be careful. There was something in his dark brown eyes that made her suddenly stop in her tracks and just stare. Then the pressure on her shoulder greatened and the pain began a whole new round of tears that slowly began welling up behind her eyes. Suddenly, she whimpered out, "S-stop it! Reaver! What the hell do you want with me?"

Reaver chuckled darkly and put a finger up to her lips, smirking at the one second glare she had given him. The tears of pain began sliding down her porcelain face, his hand trailed the side of her face and he leaned back away from her face. "I see, now your willing to listen. Hmm…I'll let you go for now, it's nice to see that sheer force has shattered your irritating pride. But…I was thinking this: If I see you again, around town…so be it! I want you to lie down on your knees and beg for forgiveness. Each time you see me, it'll-"

Nightingale's mouth opened to protest as she was asked to literally beg upon sight, she shook her head and protested, "HELL NO! Reaver! I am not your pupp-" Reaver's gloved hands had found their way around her face, he squeezed her face until she couldn't breath. He was choking her, blackmailing her…she knew if she didn't do what she was told, her Revolution would drop dead at his boots. She tried to break her hands away from his iron grip but even with one hand, her wrists were bound above her head.

Reaver sighed with disappointment. "As I was saying, my little rose, I want you to beg for forgiveness…not just beg. _Beg_." He emphasized the last word with a velvety voice, the rolling of his r's was starting to irritate her, she had the urge to punch his face. The grip on her face loosened to the point where she could breath a little more easily, though she did look lovely while struggling like that. "After all, _mon chéri_, you did try to attack me when I wasn't even thinking of it. Dear, you should really see a medical professional, your anger will put you in the most dire spots. Besides, we wouldn't want the location of your little coup d'etat revealed, would we?" He ended with a chuckle, flashing a row of perfect white teeth.

**~OOO~**

Nightingale's boots trudged the dirt piling on the grounds of Bowerstone Industrial, her anger surged beyond belief. She couldn't believe that perverted alien like bubble headed man treated her that way! Then again, he was _Reaver_…the hedonistic deviant. Nightingale prayed to all the gods and goddesses from everywhere that she wouldn't see him around town, if she did, she would die of embarrassment. What would the people think of her, begging on her knees for a monstrosity like him? Her eyes darkened for a bit as she remembered the series of unfortunate events that happened to her at least an hour or so ago. Reaver's eyes looked so…frightening, the strength he had that pressured her into crying and pleading miserably. How dare he embarrass her! He crushed her pride! She wouldn't let him get away with this, no sir!

Her eyes softened again, she knew if someone passed by her and she was glowering at the ground, they would think she had lost her mind. If Nightingale didn't do what Reaver did, he would spill out everything. Who the leaders were, where they were, she didn't want that. Her months of struggling would go into nothing, she might as well drop dead if that were to happen. It wouldn't! She wouldn't let it! A man passed by her, giving her an odd look, just then, she had realized that her facial expressions were continuously changing. Her pink blush dusted upon her cheeks as she made her way towards the Bowerstone Resistance which was held underground in a sewer, god knows what Page thinks of her now. She was over an hour late.

**~OOO~**

Nightingale was nearly knocked down by her silly collie, Oreo who licked at her face. She had to push him gently down in order to get around him. "Alright boy! Down!" Oreo galloped over to Ben Finn and jumped at him, it's a good thing that Oreo was taking a liking to his new companions. Walter took long strides up to the Princess and hugged her powerfully. "Princess! I've been worried to death, you gave us all a grave scare. What the hell happened to you? You look like you recently picked a fight with a Banshee." Nightingale had to pry her way out of Walter's grasp, her body was still sore from Reaver's abuse. She walked towards the map table of Albion in the middle of the room and looked up, a bit shocked because Ben Finn flashed her a cute smile. "Shocked to see me, aren't cha?"

Nightingale and Ben Finn started their great friendship on the right foot, when they first met each other they thought of the same things and laughed at the same things. Their fight with the hollowmen was the most fun she had in a while, though it was also the one of the most dangerous. Ben and Nightingale had hollered loud obscenities and hooted each other for shooting down the groups of hollowmen that were forming on the outside before they had broken past their barricades. Right from the start, he had been her closest friend next to Oreo in a while. The funny thing was that they yelled on and on not even knowing if the hollowmen even understood what they were hooting. Even if they sounded ridiculous, they were being quite entertained.

Major Swift walked up to the reunited Princess and bowed, "Walter is right, you gave all of us quite a scare, Ben was ready to knock down every damn door in this city to look for you." Ben chuckled and pointed a finger, "And I would've done it if you two didn't stop me! Besides, she's loyal and fun. Not to mention the leader of this Revolution, the only one who was actually close to suffering a heart attack was me!" The group bursted into loud laughter at Ben's statement, Nightingale clasped Ben's outstretched hand and shook her head. "I'm fine! Just a little beat…I was…having a little trouble with Reaver."

"That man is a thorn to everyone's side." Said a tough but soothing voice from a close distance. Nightingale turned her head to see the leader of Bowerstone Resistance carefully strut her way towards the map table of Albion. "He's at it again…it was about time you showed up Princess, I was getting extremely eager to meet you. What did that moron do this time?" Nightingale smiled at the leader brightly, she was a girl no older than her. Possibly even the same age. Page's dark skin glowed with a healthy hue and her freckles really brightened her big brown eyes. Her hair was up in a pony tail held up by a hat. Nightingale shook hands with Page and sighed, "I was covering a man he was about to kill and I got in the way and got shot in the shoulder.." she moved the mercenary jacket's collar out of the way to show her bandage wrapped shoulder. "The man was still shot though, even with me covering him. Then he invited me to his mansion in Milfields to 'apologize' and treat my wounds."

Page listened to the frail looking yet beautiful Princess closely, "Is that it? There's no way he let you go without a fight. He's like a woman worshipper, or just plain has a problem with attractive people." Nightingale stared at the Page before they burst into quiet giggles, she knew they would get along quite fine. Ben came up behind Nightingale and quickly whispered to her, "Isn't Page just charming..?" Nightingale turned to side glance at him only to smirk when he wagged his eyebrows like an idiot. Page cleared her throat and sighed, slightly irritated. "Ben, I'm right here. Please…continue Princess." Nightingale looked down at the map and shook her head, "Your right, he didn't let me leave without a fight. We argued for a while and he threatened me. Blackmail. He told me that if I didn't beg on my knees for forgiveness whenever I saw him, that he would reveal the location of this place." Page took in a sharp breath and Ben, Major Swift, and Walter glared at the map.

"Though, I guess it backfired, I did try to attack him first. Now I must pay for the consequences, I can't let such a small embarrassment get to me. I'll do what he says, no doubt that he'll always be out on the streets now. I just don't want to ruin this Revolution." Nightingale looked up at Page with determination. Page smiled reassuringly at the Princess, she patted her good shoulder and said, "Don't worry, we all have faith in you. You won't let us down, your the old Queen's daughter, there's no way you'll let us down. Your a Hero." Nightingale smiled and then nodded seriously, "So, what's on the agenda?"

Page stood away from the table and put a hand on her curvy hip, "First, you need to make yourself well known here. People won't forget what you did to try to save that man, but that was like your debut. They will recognize you on the streets. But, you don't want them to forget you. Make yourself known here, that way, you'll also get more Guild seals as Walter calls them from helping people. Sound like a plan?" Nightingale nodded confidently and then held her hand out above the map table, waiting for the others to join. One by one their hands towered on top of each other and then they threw them up yelling out, "Resistance!"

**~OOO~**

Nightingale walked alongside the streets, waiting for Jasper to tell her where there were people who needed help. "Ahem, yes, Princess, there seems to be a few here and there. Let's start one at a time. Ah. Pft. How interesting, it seems that a group of three mages needs a person to shrink in size and play their Game of rescuing the Princess from the evil Baron. Pft. It's like a board game except more exciting, what do you say Princess?" Nightingale tried to hold in her own laughter, for she was only hearing Jasper in her mind and would sound out right ridiculous for laughing out loud. "That does sound interesting, their wish shall be my command. They don't seem to have any lives though…is that why your laughing Jasper?" Jasper chuckled and then sighed a bit, "Yes. Precisely. Now, get a move on my dear. Don't forget to have…fun." Nightingale put a hand over her mouth and then whistled at Oreo, he jumped and then ran ahead of her.

**~OOO~**

Reaver yawned with boredom, he was having so much fun with the Princess and her frightened look. Where does all the time go when you have fun? Now it just seemed like time wasn't getting anywhere. He tapped his cane as he slowly walked along Bowerstone Industrial, mainly to make sure no one was slacking off…and two, to have some fun…he did after all, promise the Princess that he would be out and watching for her. Reaver stopped to sneer at a few dirty children who ran around playing tag with each other, he fixed his white coat and continued to walk on, his coattails swaying with every step he took. Then he stopped, a wide and wolfish smirk rose up to his heart shaped tattoo. 'Is that the Princess, oh my, thrice in one day? This day just couldn't get anymore exciting. I shall have some fun now.' He slowly began walking up behind the Princess who was playing around with her dog, he never really understood the concept of pets. They were just pests to him, you couldn't wear them, they didn't smell good, nor were they all that obedient.

Reaver leaned over the Princess's shoulder and rested his chin on her injured shoulder. He smirked when she froze a bit, then she began to tremble a bit. Maybe the pain was getting to her, no one but he would sneak up behind like this. Now was the moment to have his fun, while everyone was still around and about. "Ah…_Princesse_…what a pleasant surprise. It's nice to see you out and about, I believe you do have something for me." He purred gently into her ear.

Nightingale's eyes widened and her shoulder began to tremble with pain. Damn him, he was leaning on her injured shoulder on purpose, just to bother her. 'Why did he have to come at such a time! Bastard! Go fall into the Void! It'll be delighted to take you with open arms!' She cursed him out a few times more in her mind and then moved her shoulder out from beneath him and watched as he stood up to his full height. God, she hated craning her neck up. Did he have to be so damn tall? Ever since he had done **that **to her, she has been in a snappy mood around him. Nightingale purposely rolled her eyes and whispered out, "Anything for you, all mighty deviant."

Then she kneeled down on the ground and bit her lip, slowly, she looked up at him. Getting ready to beg for her life. Reaver was seriously going to get punched in the face if he continued to smile like that, perverted alien like sadistic hedonistic man. Go to hell.


	6. Chapter 6

**Nightingale**

**Chapter 6: The Game**

**"Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game."**

**-Michael Jordan**

**~OOO~**

Reaver smiled down at the elegantly embarrassed Princess, those pretty gray eyes full of hate. It was positively delicious! What made him feel even better was the fact that she didn't even try to fight back. "Oh my dear little kitten, we don't have all day! As you know, I am a busy man, tut my dear. Chop, chop!" He tapped his cane for emphasis and then leaned down on it, resting his full body weight. Sparrow probably would have done the same thing, she was just as innocent. But, Sparrow didn't have that burning passion in her eyes like this little Princess.

Nightingale's eye twitched just slightly when he called her a little kitten. 'Kitten huh? You won't be calling me that when I get the chance to rip off your pretty face.' She kept her smirk to herself and then folded her hands in front of her. Her scowl disappeared and she looked at him with the most innocent set of gray eyes. "Oh, please Mister Reaver. Will you please forgive me for my…brutish behavior earlier? Sometimes I just can't help myself. I was under so much stress and I didn't mean to take it out on you." For emphasis, she forced herself to cry. Soon the fake tears were welling up on her eye lids.

Reaver looked down at the Princess with the most interested behavior, 'My my…what a wonderful actress our little bird is.' He cocked his head to the side and then smirked wolfishly. If she had been any normal girl, he would have taken her to his chambers and done away with her…but she wasn't a normal girl, or was she? He used the tip of the cane to lift the Princess's head up a little further, just enough so that it would slightly strain her. "Hm…I'm not quite sure I'm convinced. Especially now that there is a strange stench drifting around you…did you, by any chance?" He looked down at her and then pretended to pinch his nose in disgust. The look on the Princess's face was perfect.

Nightingale's eyes widened with humiliation, her face flushed pink and she looked around to see a few passing people snicker and laugh. Her attention turned back to that lunatic and she glared up at him. Almost immediately she replied, "Why no sir! Why would I ever do something so unladylike? But, If I'm not wrong, doesn't Bowerstone Industrial indeed have a problem with…sewage? I'm not surprised if you smelt something so undesirable." Her lips curled into a devious smirk and she congratulated herself for the awesome comeback. Her hands unfolded and she rested them on her lap.

Reaver raised his elegant eyebrows in dismay. True, they did have a sewage problem. He put a hand up to his hair and swept it back in place, he was actually looking for the opposite reaction. Reaver wanted her to beg even more, it was a surprise to him that she would find a comeback. He had to sudden urge to shoot her, now she was embarrassing him in front of the people of Bowerstone Industrial. "Hmm…you sound so sure of yourself, my lady. Are you sure you haven't been lurking around a certain set of sewers…?" That had to have done the trick, the look on her face was of pure hatred and disgust.

Nightingale furrowed her eyebrows in anger, she suddenly stood up and grabbed him by the collar of his dress shirt that was tucked underneath his stupid jacket and pulled him close. She looked up at his face and exclaimed, "YOU SPOILED BASTARD! Listen here! I'm begging for my life and for my people! If you dare cross my path again, I won't hesitate to shoot you. Even if you kill me with your DAMN gun, I'll at least die in grace, I'll die respectfully knowing that I tried my best to save my people from disgusting little cretins like you!" Her breath came out like pants and she stared him straight in the eyes.

Reaver smirked when he saw that he had hit a weak spot, she had pulled him so close, he would have been able to kiss her if she wasn't so pissed off. Cretin? Another term from her abusive language, this one actually made his smile droop just a bit. Who was she to call the greatest man and industrialist alive a cretin? An idiot? Why, if she wasn't of some use to him, he would've shot her so many times, even after she would've breathed her last sigh. He cackled hysterically, "My dear, I didn't know you felt this way. Such closeness, comfy don't you think?" He cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow at her.

Nightingale's face flushed pink but she felt like she achieved something when she saw the angry look on Reaver's face. Other people probably wouldn't have seen the difference, but she saw that slight twitch of his face, she knew he had been angry. Nightingale pushed him back forcefully, hoping it would make him stagger but it looked as if he had just taken a step back. Curse his nimbleness. "Ugh. Your not worth my time. Go fall in a hole!" She hissed and then whipped her body around, causing her hair to dramatically twirl around her in a sea of shiny black. Nightingale stomped off towards her original destination, a couple of nerdy magicians.

**~OOO~**

Nightingale sighed, her face was still flushed. There seemed to be no one around Bowerstone Old Quarters so she let out all her steam, staring down at her dog. "I can't believe he did that! That bastard, dick, cretin, baboon…ugh! I just can't stand HIM! What do women see in him other than his…" she sort of gagged when she thought of his face, "good looks and 'charms'? His personality utterly and completely sucks…that's definitely not why they like him." Shivers ran down her spine and she looked down at Oreo who was whimpering, as if to understand her stress and humiliation. She smiled and gently scratched behind his ears, "It's alright boy, at least I have you." Oreo instantly cheered up and ran up ahead, stopping at a building upon hearing voices.

Nightingale jogged up to Oreo and hushed him a bit, he was growling at a man with what looked like a red and white ballroom mask and a red robe. She kneeled down next to him and used a soothing voice and then looked up at the man who was staring at her intently. Nightingale stood up and put a hand on her hip, the man pumped his fist in the air, howling with what seemed like joy. Nightingale jumped back a step and put a hand up to her collar bone, "Your the one we've been looking for! An adventurer! It's you! Come on! You have to help us!" Nightingale yelped as the man pulled her inside with Oreo scampering behind them.

Nightingale came to a sudden stop, bumping into the man's back, she stared out from behind his shoulder at what seemed like two other men in red robes. 'Yep, this has to be the right house.' The man conversed with the two other mages and then broke, smiling giddily at her. She awkwardly rubbed her arm, "So…erm…what do you guys need help with?" The one with the ballroom mask walked up to Nightingale and shook her hand, "Before we tell you what we want you to do, let's introduce ourselves. My name is Mark." He stepped back and Nightingale tried to compose her smile without completely having it turn into a twitch. The one with the side burns shook her hand next and grinned, "My name is Jim, I hope your used to violence and doom and destruction." Nightingale smiled awkwardly and nodded, Jim walked back to Mark and whispered, "Not really a talker is she…? But she sure is pretty!" Mark looked at his gaming friend and then shook his head.

Ben walked up to her next and excitedly shook her hand and then glared at Jim, "No! This will NOT be as dangerous as he says. My name is Ben. And may I say! Your very lovely!" Nightingale giggled a bit, Jim pulled Ben back and then rolled his eyes. "In other words, Ka-lev the Lord of the Faeries." Ben frowned at Jim and then Mark cleared his throat to stop his friends' odd bickering. "Well…yes, shall we move along." Mark gently pulled Nightingale forward towards their highly detailed game table, it had a town and everything to it. 'They must have spent so much time.'

Mark smiled and then continued, "So. We created this game board for fun, the only problem was that we didn't have a person to go in and well…fight the things we created. The object of the game is to rescue a Princess who was kidnapped by an Evil Baron who lives in his evil castle. Are you for it? I mean, you are sort of frail and…um…small looking." Nightingale tried her best not to shoot him the most rudest look, she fake grinned and nodded, "You'll be biting your words once you see me work my magic." Ben happily clapped his hands together and exclaimed, "She said yes! Oh! This will be fun!" Jim rubbed his temple and gently smacked Ben, "Will you just shut up." Mark cleared his throat and looked at Jim. "Now if you two are done arguing for no apparent reason, get the Orb of Magicka." Jim sighed and then nodded, picking it up off a counter.

Nightingale looked down at the purple ball of glass and then raised an eyebrow at Mark. "What's this for…?" Mark only smiled, "Just wait and watch, and do keep the Orb in a safe place once you have shrunk down in size." Nightingale furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "Shrun-" Suddenly, the world around began to grow bigger and bigger, things began to grow into sharper focus. Nightingale looked up at her dog who seemed to be a gigantic monster. She yelled out when he tried to lick her, heck, he would have accidentally eaten her if not for Mark. "D-down boy! You'll eat her instead!" Hands went underneath her and she felt the pressure of being lifted up, she looked off to the side and her eyes widened to the fact that it was so high up. 'I've never actually been afraid of heights, but that changes today…'

Nightingale looked up at Mark and then put the Orb in a safe pocket, "Alright…I suppose your going to set me down on the game table now?" Mark's lips twisted in confusion, "What? I'm going to put you down on the game board now!" The voice seemed to boom through her ears, she gripped them and closed her eyes. Ben yelled out in concern, "Mark! Don't yell so loudly! She's all tiny now! Hold on, let me put her down on the game board, your not as gentle as me!" Ben's footsteps thumped loudly through her ears and her eyes widened as she saw Mark swish his hands away, which to her dismay, she was sitting on. They began to struggle, one pulling on the other. Suddenly, she felt herself fly out of Mark's hand and into the air. She began to scream loudly as she felt the pressure swarm around her. The game board's surface came closer and closer and, _SMACK_. She landed right on her back on the pebbly terrain of Lightwood. Nightingale rolled to her side and gasped for air, groaning at the pain that just blossomed across her back. "That's going to leave a mark…" luckily she was a Hero. Heros could survive longer falls and attacks unlike an ordinary human who probably wouldn't be able to heal as fast as them either.

Nightingale felt like she laid there for at least an eternity before she heard Mark's voice ring throughout the game board. "Oh…dear. I'm so sorry…**WE'RE** so sorry. You are alright, aren't you?" She sat up and then rubbed her back, the pain was already starting to die down, but OUCH! That was a big fall. She also noticed something different, Mark's voice wasn't as loud as it was when she wasn't on the game board, 'probably some kind of…magic.' "Yes. I'm fine now. Please, just…don't do that again." Ben looked at Mark from across the game board and pouted "Hey! If it wasn't for you shaking your arms around like a crazed woman at a sale, she wouldn't have gotten thrown around like that!" They seemed to argue back and forth for a while, she pinched the bridge of her nose before yelling out in distress, "HEEEYY!"

All grew quiet when Nightingale stressed the fact that she had finally gotten annoyed. Mark and Ben awkwardly exchange glances before focusing back at the shrunken young Princess. "We're sorry about that." Nightingale sighed in relief, "It's alright, I do have a question for you. How come you can hear me now?" Jim cleared his throat and nodded, "Some awesome features about the game board, I don't know, we just designed it like that." Nightingale slowly nodded her head and finally began to take in the fake town of Lightwood. It was a bright town filled with…plastic game piece people. She shivered slightly, 'Could this get any creepier?'

Mark continued, "Alright. So, the Hero composes herself from a painful position and finds herself in the happy little town known as Lightwood. May I suggest? Why don't you ask around the townsfolk about the missing Princess or just go straight to the gatekeeper." Nightingale nodded and then began to walk around, it wasn't that hard to navigate but she was still stunned about the fact that three mages had made such a realistic looking place if not for the plastic people. 'I just want to get through this as fast as I can…ok, gatekeeper it is.' She followed the nice beige path towards the gates to the fake town. She jumped when she heard the booming voice of one of the mages trying to fake the gatekeeper's voice. "Hello there Miss! Your new around here, what can I do for you?"

Nightingale blew a piece of hair out of her face in frustration and smiled at the plastic man, 'Oh, now I'm smiling at inanimate objects.' She walked closer and then cleared her throat, "Ah. Yes, I am new…I'm an adventurer…and I..um, heard that the Princess was kidnapped. By the Evil Baron!" Ben cackled silently and then whispered to Nightingale, "Good job so far, there's no need to be nervous, just pretend that the people are real." Jim smacked Ben on the arm, "Yeah, then she's going to end up like us." Mark cleared his throat loudly and continued, "Ah yes!" The pitifully deep voice rumbled, "That is true! The Baron took the Princess to his castle on the other side of town! If your such an adventurer, we would be grateful if you could save her. Just keep going straight and you'll see the castle in no time." Nightingale sucked in a breath and watched as the gates to the town opened, she began to jog quickly, wanting all of this nonsense to be over.

**~OOO~**

Reaver walked along the stretched inside of Reaver Industries. Where manual labor made many trinkets possible. He remembered when this factory was first created. It was during the time when Sparrow began to rule and he had returned from that boring of a place called Samarkand. Here he thought that that place would be lush with uninhibited people and exotic substances. It all turned out to be his imagination, complete opposite. That Garth had been right when they were finished with Lucien in the Spire. Ah, Sparrow, he remembered when he first saw her expression upon entering his abode in Bloodstone. She was looking at him with a sneer when she had seen him modeling for his sculpture. So innocent though. When she had returned from the Temple of Shadows after being falsely lead there, she had tried to save the photographer that he had shot. The look on her face was filled with hatred and sorrow, her eyes burned with passion, but not in the way that little bird Nightingale's did.

One of the workers' heaved a large breath, his hand clutched his chest, maybe the fumes had finally gotten to the little bugger. Reaver narrowed his eyes in disapproval and watched as a few other unwise workers circled around the man who leaned against the machinery for support. Reaver clicked his cane loudly as he strutted unhappily towards them, they were wasting his time. And time meant money! "Tut tut, what do we have here?" There was gasps from the startled workers, the worker who was out of breath looked up at the towering man, the gleam in Reaver's eyes made him feel like an ant. "I-I'm sorry Master Reaver, but I-I don't think I can go on without some rest…" Reaver chuckled hysterically and then pulled out his Dragonstomper .48, "There are no such things as breaks at Reaver Industries…either you work like the peasants you are or you die. I do see that you are having some trouble there, why don't I end that misery of yours." The man's eyes widened and he fell down onto the ground and pleaded, "No! No! Please…I have a wife and ki-" A gunshot rang out through the factory and the entire area hushed into a silent tone.

Reaver walked up the stairs and rested his hand against the rail, "I warned everyone before, if you don't work, you'll end up like that lovely corpse over there. No get back to WORK! Chop chop!" Everyone began to bustle along the factory even faster now, it seemed to be some kind of energy going through the Industries…Fear. He smirked wolfishly and headed towards his office, boredom trailing above his head. Maybe he would later visit the Princess. They always did seem to meet at the strangest of times.

**~OOO~**

Nightingale huffed a bit and wiped the splattered blood as it swiped across her cheek. She was sure that the last of the Hobbes were dead, from here, she could see the plastic Baron and Princess. Nightingale clasped her hands in relief. "And so the brave Hero wiped the filthy blood of the Hobbes off her lovely pale cheeks and headed towards the Evil Baron, determined to kill him with the only weapon that could do so. The Evil Baron Slaying Sword. By the way, remember to give that back." Jim's voice rang throughout the game board. Ben gagged in disgust, "Did you have to mention the part about the blood?" Jim sighed in frustration, "Yes. After your fail with the butterflies and the chest, I had to do something to recover from that, didn't I?" Mark nodded, "Ben, he is sorta right you know. Ah! Finally, the Hero approaches the Baron with sword in hand."

Nightingale rolled her eyes at the Baron, they did that narrating the WHOLE time. It finally made her want to rip her hair out, not yet, she would keep her sanity. Nightingale furrowed her eyebrows and then shrugged, slashing the sword swiftly through the Baron's plastic body. "UGHGHGHGHG!" Mark cried in a high scruffy voice, "NO!" Jim eyed Mark with a glare, "Really, that's it?" Mark eyed him back, "What's it?" Jim pointed at the two halves of the Baron, "There couldn't have been a more epic fight with the Baron, I mean, she killed him with one blow." Ben shoved Jim and growled, "Oh just shut up will you! All you want is violence, it's over now and I bet the girl is tired. Alright, now just speak to the princess."

Nightingale sighed in relief and looked at the scary looking Princess with the powdered wig, "Oh, thank you so much! I do believe you earn something for doing something so brave!" Ben's pathetically squeaky voice rang through Nightingale's ears and she stared confused up at the mages. Mark waggled his eyebrows at Jim and chuckled, "Oh yeah! That'll be interesting!" Jim nodded, "Not to mention pretty bloody hot." Ben gagged again, "Ew. No, heavens no. Leave the girl be." Jim shrugged, "Let's just try." Mark nodded, "Alright, now kiss the Princess." Nightingale's eyes widened in disgust, "Um. I'm sorry, but that's as far as I will go, I saved her and that's it. There's no way I'm kissing that, even if it is plastic." Ben clapped his hands together and then said, "Alright, just use the Orb of Magicka to get to normal size, we're all grateful for what you did." She sighed in relief and took the Orb out.

**~OOO~**

It had gotten dark and Nightingale had grown tired from the three mages who had rambled all throughout the game she had played for them. Oreo bounced at her feet, she looked down at him tiredly and sighed, "Never am I going to help mages again. Remind me." She continued to walk on towards a hotel when she stopped dead in her tracks. It had just gotten slightly dark, but she couldn't mistake the the fact that someone was breathing on the side of her neck. She was about to turn around when Reaver's hand clasped over her mouth. "Ah. _Salut ma belle_." She tried to wretch away from his iron grasp but it wasn't working. "Oh come now, kitten, I was just getting bored and you are my number one source of entertainment. Why don't we have some fun?" Nightingale groaned, obviously annoyed, first the mages and now this? What more?

**AH! Finally I got this chapter finished, I just couldn't get myself to do it for a few days, I was extremely busy. FINALLY! I got the time to finish it, I hope everyone likes it, Feedback is wanted! P.S. I personally loved the way I coordinated Reaver in this chapter.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Nightingale**

**Chapter 7: Stuck with Reaver**

"**I'll beat him so bad he'll need a shoehorn to put his hat on."**

**-Muhammad Ali**

**~OOO~**

Oreo growled loudly up at Reaver, teeth bared and ready to bite. Nightingale had managed to get Reaver's hand off of her, now she stood next to her dog, arms stubbornly across her chest. Nightingale looked down at him, "Hm…I can't blame you boy, he does piss me off too. But I recommend you not to bite him, acid or something even worse might spill out." She sneered at Reaver. Instantly Oreo huffed and stopped his growling though he was still posed for attack…the ends of his fur standing up. She gave him an expressionless look, all she wanted to do was hop into a bed and fall asleep. It might not be that late, but she was nonetheless exhausted.

Reaver now stared at the rebellious 18 year old Princess with a bored expression. "Now, now. There was no reason to be rude, little Princess. Though, I do wonder…how did that boy…tsk..what was his name? Elliot. However did he deal with your constant vulgar language and infinite amount of hatred?" The girl had shot him a most surprising death glare. "Don't talk about Elliot! You didn't even know who he was, don't even mutter his name around me or you'll regret it." With that the Princess turned around uncomfortably and rubbed her arms, sighing rather sadly. Pity, she was full of despair and sadness. Only sometimes would she show that pearly smile of hers. Reaver lurked closer to her, "Really dear, you should see a medical professional. That anger of yours can be fixed you know. Tut!"

Nightingale tried not to grit her teeth at his comment or the sudden closeness he showed. Whenever Elliot popped into her mind, all she could do was think of the memories that swirled in her head. "I-I..ahh..I'm sorry. I'm just tired, that's all." Nightingale felt Oreo rub his nuzzle against her thin but toned legs, she heard him whimper and gently petted his head. "I really must go. I have many things to get ready for tomorrow." She turned around to face Reaver again, with a slight strained smile.

Reaver looked down at her, his fingers tapping against his cane impatiently. 'What ever happened to her? Why is she being so dull? Where's that fire and passion?' He smirked deviously, he wouldn't leave her be, not without some fun at least. "My dear. Why despair at such a time? The night is full of surprises. Come, come, we shall go have some fun!" He exclaimed, grabbing her by the arm and literally dragging her towards his carriage that awaited his arrival. The Princess kept muttering things, her boots scraped against the ground as she tried to wretch free from his grasp. Reaver let out a chuckle and continued to pull her along, there wasn't much of a walk left.

Nightingale's eyes widened as his long arms reached for her, those purple gloved fingers dug into her arm and pulled her at will. He didn't even have to strain a muscle to pull her along, she seemed to weigh as much as a paper clip apparently. "W-w-what! N-no, just wait a second! I-I said wait! Ugh! You bastard, let go of me! Let go of me!" She dug her boots into the ground and leaned away from him, trying to put all of her weight out, trying to strain him. It was sort of working, he had to dig his boots into the ground to pull her along. That slight twitch of his eyebrow let her know that he was getting slightly irritated by her disobedience, but who was he to throw her around like that?

Reaver grunted when she began to dig her feet deeper into the ground, she was trying to put her full weight on him, though he thought he was doing a marvelous job dragging her along with one arm. He turned his head so that she saw the side of his face, her dagger like eyes pierced his back."My…dear. There's no need to be so…stubborn." He strained a bit, trying to pull her along. Now he wanted to push her off a cliff or into a pit of Balverines and laugh. She was being idiotic and stupid, he was going to have to threaten her soon if she continued to yell those vulgar words at him, it was extremely unladylike. Suddenly, he felt his arm stoop down, it was like a ton was dropped onto his hand, he narrowed his eyes and stared down at the Princess who was sitting down on the ground with her arms across her chest in a childish way. 'This is beyond ridiculous.' He tapped his cane on the ground and smirked wolfishly down at her, "Princess, is that anyway to act? Especially since a great man like me is willing to take you to his house for something to do? Something uplifting. Why, I cared some much, I couldn't bear to see you all depress-"

Nightingale snorted and felt the grip of his fingers dig deeper in her arm, she had to admit it hurt, but there was no way she was letting him see that. He would only laugh and make fun of her. "Enough stupidity Reaver. I am not and will not go anywhere with you, especially not your mansion. Besides! That's in Millfields. In…your…dreams. Get that out of your vain head." She seemed to have spit out the last words, they were so full of venom and hate. Nightingale lifted her chin up in a snobby way and turned her head so that he could only see the side of her face. Those eyes of his, those brown eyes speckled with green gleamed with excitement and a tad bit of annoyance. If he was annoyed, by all means, she would love to irritate him further. Besides, her hammer was itching for some Reaver blood.

Reaver used his free hand to brush a strand of jet black hair back in place. Now she was just being stubborn and irritating, that was probably her goal. To irritate him to death. Why, Sparrow wasn't this annoying, she was more ladylike. Though, she was annoying in her own way too. He smirked down at her, now she was at the last straw, he would use other means of getting her into his carriage. Reaver kneeled down to her level and looked her in the eyes, though she was avoiding all eye contact…which truthfully, wasn't wise, especially when he had a trick up his sleeve. "My dear, don't think I'm the type to just give up on fun when it's sitting right in front of me. I strive for it, in many many ways." He stood back up and cocked his head to the side, "Yes…this should work. Don't be alarmed my dear." He seemed to have chuckled out the last sentence, actually, it was more like slithered out. Suddenly, he grabbed her by the waist and threw her over his broad shoulders and began his merry way once more.

Nightingale yelled in surprise, suddenly she was thrown over the deviant's shoulder and easily he began to walk again. Oreo began to whimper after his mistress. She watched the dog follow slowly after them, she shook her head and then said, "I'-I'll be fine boy! Just go back to the others!" Her dog whimpered once more back galloped away, soon out of sight. She put her hands on his shoulders and tried to pull herself up, or at least pry herself off. No good, he was being forceful now. God, she hated him! "H-hey! Put me down this instant! Reaver! Are you listening to me! I-I'll puke on you! It's really high up and I swear I'll…" She sighed in irritation, what point was there to argue now? Might was well give up all hope around this man. Monster, alien…whatever he was. Reaver finally let out a satisfied cackle. "Finally being reasonable, are we now? I promise my dear, this will be the highlight of your lovely young life." Nightingale rolled her eyes and hissed in irritation, "Shut it, Reaver."

**~OOO~**

Ben sat down on a crate and looked into his bowl of…Avo knows what. He scooped it up with a spoon and held it up to his nose, it didn't smell so good. It brought him back to the time when he was with Major Swift at the barracks. He wrinkled his nose and stuck out his tongue in disgust. Walter rolled his eyes and slurped down the stuff with what looked with joy, then again, he couldn't blame them. The Princess and Walter probably didn't have that decent of a meal ever since they had escaped the castle months ago. "Stop your bellyaching and drink the stuff already. It's not like it has sock…juice in it." Ben looked up at Walter and then awkwardly down at the soup again, he closed his eyes and took a tiny sip of the soup. "Hey, your right Walter, this ain't so bad." He took a whole spoonful and held it in his mouth when a man walked up to them and smiled.

"Actually, it does have some of what Sir Walter said, it gives it that thickness." Ben's face turned green, he and Walter smiled with their mouths full and then gagged and spitted the 'soup' out after the man left. Ben wiped his hands over his tongue and shivered, "Oh, Avo! That's foul! Bleh!" Walter coughed a bit and then grabbed a waterskin and cleaned out his mouth. Ben looked at Walter with envy, "Hey! Don't hog the thing you old buzzard! Gimme!" Walter spit on the ground and shook his head before tossing Ben the waterskin. "Balls, that was something that I didn't need to know. I just lost my appetite." Ben nodded after gurgling the water and then spitting it out, "I did too. Remind me never to taste soup without askin what's in it." Walter shook his head, "Expect the same from me."

Ben stared up at the dark ceiling of the sewers and then pulled the bed roll a bit closer, he sighed with boredom. Everyone seemed to be asleep except for him. If Nightingale was here, they would be out in town having some fun, but sadly she wasn't and he was here all bored. 'I wonder how her quest went for today…' he shrugged and then yawned loudly, it sounded somewhat like a whale calling for it's future mate. Walter groaned and then rolled over to his side. Ben smirked in the dark, he grabbed a handkerchief and twisted it so that it was thin and began to wiggle it across Walter's nose. Walter sniffed a bit and then sighed. Ben frowned and did it a bit stronger this time. Walter sat up straight and looked at Ben who was lying down and staring up at him, "Ben! Can't you see I'm trying to sleep? Go to sleep." Walter laid down again and grumbled a few words and then sighed.

Ben groaned into his pillow and then whispered to Walter, "But I'm BORED." Walter waved his hand in the air, "Imagine something boring, it'll knock you right out." Walter grumbled again and then quickly began snoring. Ben impersonated his grumble with a whisper and then laid on his back once more. Finally he decided to sing a little jolly tune that the soldiers back in the barracks used to sing. Soon everyone began to toss and turn, then they yelled out in what seemed like a chorus, including Page, Swifty, and Walter: "BEN!"

**~OOO~**

Nightingale watched as one of Reaver's servants' opened her carriage door, she smiled sympathetically at him and shook her head, "You didn't have to do that. Thank you though." The man bowed gratefully at her, she smiled. Then again, Reaver probably didn't thank his servants' for anything, she felt sorrow for them. And to think the worse possible thing was getting kidnapped by Reaver, how would she have felt working for him? Nightingale shivered and whispered to herself, "Oh, Avo, no." Reaver strutted up next to her and smirked, "Did you say something dear?" Nightingale fake smiled and shook her head, "Nope." Then she looked expressionless at his outstretched arm. Nightingale raised an eyebrow and looked up at him, she turned to see the servant waiting for them to walk ahead of him, she gave him a pitiful smile and he grinned sympathetically back at her. "That's not necessary, Reaver."

Reaver shrugged merrily and then began to tap his cane as he walked up to the lovely double doors to his mansion. He put his index finger at her collar bone to stop her, Nightingale's eyes widened and she stared down at his finger and then back up at him, he seemed to be listening for something, but what? At this time of night? Nightingale grabbed his finger and pushed his hand away from her collar bone, it was so close to a grope, she would have intentionally slapped him if that were the case…which it probably would have been. Reaver sighed a bit disappointed, "Tsk. Hmm…I almost forgot that I was to host tonight's party." Nightingale face palmed herself and he turned towards his servant. "I'm not late am I?" The servant jumped a bit and then crazily shook his head, obviously caught off guard. Reaver's signature smirk flashed across his lovely face, "Good. I guess we will have a little fun tonight, come now _ma belle_."

Nightingale's lips twitched awkwardly at the sight of all the drunk people trying to waltz with each other. The orchestra played with fright, as if they knew they would die if they didn't play the right songs. Heck, all the guests had ALREADY gotten drunk? The party had apparently just started, that was just messed up. She shook her head upon seeing a man half naked, it scarred her so she looked away, the blush dusting upon her pale white cheeks. Reaver easily dodged the guests and made his way towards the grand staircase, he waved his arms out and smiled like a giddy fool. "My dear guests, I am sorry for my late arrival but that will all be made up in time. Please indulge yourself with the lovely wine and spirits and enjoy this marvelous night! _Profitez de la fête mes belles_!" Nightingale sneered with disgust and began to make her way through the sweating guests. Wine was spilled here and there, people were laughing, dancing, falling. How could they celebrate like this in Albion's time of need? Filthy little cretins, people like them did not deserve this fun.

Nightingale kept her mouth shut but angrily made her way away from the partying guests, she wanted to be away from Reaver's watchful gaze. Now that he had some toys to play with, he wouldn't mind if she found her way out, would he? She smirked and then wandered around for a few minutes. Suddenly, she stopped to see a familiar set of hair, those blonde curls could not be someone else's. She was working in what seemed like the kitchen, making sure that the food and wine seemed to be around the sight of the guests. Nightingale lurked closer, narrowing her eyes, she smiled with excitement. It was Lizzie! Nightingale quickly scurried towards her and then hugged her, in response, the blonde girl jumped a bit and then turned around to see the girl she had befriended a while ago. Her smile widened and she hugged Nightingale back, "Oh! Prin-, Night! It's so wonderful to see you here!" Then the girl's eyes widened, "What are you doing here? In such a…disgraceful party." She whispered the last part.

Nightingale began to help Lizzie sort out the food, she carefully handed finished dishes and drinks to the other servants who set them out in the ballroom. "Oh god, Lizzie, it's a long…long story." Lizzie giggled a bit and then sighed as she handed a tray of goods to a servant, she wiped her hands off with the hem of her maid dress and then turned towards her. It seemed as though their work was done for now, they would have to start panicking once more when the food was running low. "Well, I'm sure I have a whole lot of time. Come here, sit by the stove." Lizzie pulled out two scruffy looking chairs and they both sat down. "Well. The day I came to this place for the first time, I was injured." Lizzie nodded with approval and ushered her to continue, "We got into…a little fight and he threatened me with a few words and told me he would spill my secret out to the King…my brother. If I didn't beg whenever I saw him, he would tell my secret. So now, Reaver does whatever he can to get in my way and I suffer from it. He literally kidnapped me! That's how I'm here!" The Princess continued to tell her in detail. Lizzie gasped and shook her head, her delicate fingers covered her lips.

Lizzie looked down at her lap and then back up at the Princess, honestly, she looked so worn out…she looked tired and fragile. Yet, she managed to still look as beautiful as ever. Lizzie patted Nightingale's pale hands and strained a smile, "Your doing so much in order to keep the Resistance safe. I appreciate that, everyone does. I can't wait until you are Queen, you will be the monarch that Albion has waited for, for so long people suffered…now they won't. It's only a matter of time. And I, Lizzie, will follow in your footsteps wherever you go." Lizzie bowed down, "My Queen." She looked back up to see the young Princess who was tearing up now. Lizzie embraced her as if she were her sibling, she hushed her and patted her head gently.

Nightingale sighed, shuddering slightly. Lizzie would be her closest friend, an ally. She pulled away from Lizzie and wiped away a few tears, then she held out her hand. "As future Queen, I declare you one of my future advisors…and best friend." Lizzie shook the girl's small hand and nodded; they both whispered, "Resistance."

**~OOO~**

Nightingale wiped a few beads of sweat forming on her forehead, she quickly handed a platter to a hurried servant and then finally relaxed again, giving Lizzie a wide eyed look. "How long will this last? What's the matter with these people?" Lizzie giggled and then handed her a clean rag, "This is only the beginning, trust me, there's more from where this came from. I'm surprised that Master Reaver hasn't noticed your disappearance." Nightingale used the rag to gently dab at her face, she laid it on her lap an shrugged, "Oh, no. Trust me, he knows I'm gone. He's probably too drunk to care. Please tell me nothing happens after the guests leave." Lizzie bit her lip and sighed. Wiping at her neck.

Lizzie looked back up at the rebel Princess, "I'm afraid it's even worse when he's drunk. He might be in a better mood tonight, since your here. He might not try to harm any servants." Lizzie slightly smiled when the girl in front of her scowled and shook her head disapprovingly. Lizzie began to twist the rag, "I wonder when I'll ever get out of here…I wonder when all of his servants will ever be treated correctly." Nightingale looked at the beautiful girl, she seemed to on the edge of crying. Nightingale watched as a few free servants gathered around Lizzie. Nightingale looked back at Lizzie seriously and cocked her head to the side, "How did you get here?"

Lizzie flinched when the Princess asked her that question, it was bound to happen anyway, and she was going to tell her soon too. Lizzie stopped twisting her now used rag and looked up at her, sucking in a breath as a few tears began gliding down her rosy cheeks. "My father sold me to Reaver. He didn't have enough money to take care of his family, we all worked. Mother, sister, and father. One night, I awoke to hear my sister screaming, she was being dragged away by a man." The girl's voice cracked and she began to sob into her hand, "H-he had sold my mother and sister to that man. Then my father came into my room, he threw a bag at me and told me to leave. That there was a carriage outside ready to take me to my new home…my new life. When I got outside…I swore that I could still hear my sister's screams." Lizzie shuddered a bit. Nightingale patted her hand, "The carriage I recognized as Reaver's because it had that big 'R' on it. Before you know it, I began to work here. It's been a few years since then. I don't even know where my father, mother or sister are. I was fifteen at the time. One t-time….one time, the Master even tried to get me in his bed. I cried and cried until he told me to get back to work. Ever since then, I would always be on edge with him around…I'm just so tired of all this."

Nightingale glowered down at the ground and a few servants patted Lizzie on the back, letting her know that they were there for her. She seemed to be the only young servant here. Nightingale looked at Lizzie, she shook her head. "I swear, I swear on my life that I will make all of this END. I will not stand by and watch Albion and it's people be mistreated any longer. I promise Lizzie." Lizzie nodded with a proud smile and hugged Nightingale once more, she was the only family she had left. Nightingale quickly drew back, she looked shocked. "Lizzie! I can get you out of here! I can send you down to the sewers to my mentor, Sir Walter Beck. There are also a few others that I know! Come on! While this party is still going on, pack your things." Lizzie hesitated, then she looked at all the other servants that ushered her to get a move on, that they'll take her place. Lizzie smiled brightly, she wiped away a few fresh tears and nodded. "Come, this way, quickly."

Nightingale and Lizzie sneaked through the party, they all seemed oblivious to the fact that two teenage girls where suspiciously heading towards the servants' quarters. After they were out of sight, they ran up the stairs and into the large servants' bedroom. Lizzie snapped opened her trunk of belongings and began to quickly stuff them in a bag. Honestly she didn't have much. She looked up at Nightingale when she was done. "Alright, I've got everything. What's the plan?" Nightingale nodded and then pulled out a clean handkerchief and quickly grabbed a quill, writing out a message. "Give this to either a blonde young man named Ben Finn or a old tall solider named Sir Walter Beck. They'll help you settle down. Be careful in the sewers. Take this." She kneeled down and pulled out a sharp curved dagger in her left boot and handed it to her, "You won't need it, but take it just in case."

Nightingale then walked over to the large window and opened it looking down, it wasn't that high up, but it was pretty high. She sighed frustrated, there was little time left before someone noticed their absence! Just then she looked off to the side to fine a railing or pipe leading down to the ground. Her hopes lit up once more and she gestured Lizzie to rush over. Nightingale pointed at it. "I'll hoist you up, once you get a grip on that pipe quickly descend down and make a run for the Resistance headquarters." Lizzie nervously bit her lip and nodded, Nightingale hugged her and sighed, "I'll see you soon. Don't worry." Then just to make sure, Nightingale had Lizzie hold her back so that she could check to see if the pipe was sturdy enough. She tried to shake it with her hand but it seemed glued to the wall. Nightingale nodded with a confident smile. "It's all good. Come." She kneeled down and held her hands out. Lizzie shakily gripped onto the pipe and watched Nightingale try her best to lift her up. Lizzie wrapped her arms around the pipe and made sure that her feet fight the rungs, "Alright. It's all good." Suddenly, Nightingale screamed. Lizzie's eyes widened with fear, like her hopes were shattered. Barry Hatch.

Nightingale screamed out of shock when a certain set of arms wrapped around her waist and sharply pulled her away from the window as she too was going to escape and go her separate way. She wretched and kicked. The man grunted and then cackled hysterically…the smell of alcohol fresh on his breath. "Let go of me you creep!" Lizzie gasped in shock and yelled for Nightingale, "Night! I'm coming, j-just hold on!"

Nightingale heard Lizzie scream her name, her eyes widened and she shook wildly, "NO! Don't! Lizzie this is your only chance! Run, run and don't dare turn your head! GO!" She saw the teary look on Lizzie's face as the girl quickly descended and ran for her life towards the Resistance headquarters. Nightingale felt the grip on her waist tighten. "Master Rweaver was lookin for ya. You are that special guest he was talkin about. Pretty aren't ya? Well. He's quiiiittee upset aboutcha rwunnin off like that. Let's go, my dear." Nightingale felt him pull her along, a sudden surge of anger fell threw her. Right when she was about to set everything right…there had to be something that went wrong. She grabbed the man's arm and flipped him onto his back on the ground, he fell with a '_Umpfh_.' She set a booted foot down on the man's chest and watched him struggle to wriggle free. The pressure on his chest tightened and she seemed to be spilling venom out of her mouth. "Go to hell."

Reaver smirked slightly at the naughty Princess who had Barry under her foot, he seemed to have pulled a trigger on the girl for she had a angry aura around her. It seemed to billow out and it felt as though Reaver was being scorched by that aura. He quickly slumped towards her, he was drunk but he was still coordinated enough. It took a while to shoo out the few conscious guests but he got them to leave, he would have to deal with the sleeping idiots later…right now he had a very angry girl to deal with. Reaver leaned down to her level and rested his head on her shoulder leaning it against her neck. He pulled out his Dragonstomper .48 and rested it on her collar bone. The girl froze where she stood, as if stopped by time. Her breath came out in deep breaths and he smiled deviously and then frowned down at Barry Hatch, his counterpart, "Go Barry, leave me and my guest be." The pressure on Barry's chest seemed to have evaporated for the man scrambled out from under her foot and walked out…not before giving the girl an angry stare.

Nightingale froze where she stood, only her eyes had followed after the man named Barry who had walked out, closing the door after him. She swallowed a deep breath and beads of cold sweat began appearing on her forehead. She didn't know the party had ended that soon, she heard him cackle silently, then he got a bit louder. Lizzie's warning of Reaver being even more deadly drunk rang throughout her skull…giving her head a slight ache. The gun traced her collar bone. She shivered at the cold metal, he chuckled deeply and his lips traced the shell of her ear. "_Ma belle_. Being quite naughty aren't we? Did you think I would completely lose sight of you? Tsk…_petit oiseau_…you even lost me my most precious servant. You must pay for that..tut, you must." He chuckled out the last part. The industrialist grabbed the girl by the waist and hoisted her on his shoulder while ignoring her screams and kicks to his bed chamber.

**~OOO~**

Nightingale was thrown on the bed, she tried to scramble for her weapons but he had swiped them from her grasp before she knew it, now they lay scattered on the floor. Far out of her reach. She tried desperately to get away from the bed, but he had beaten her to it. He pounced on her and pinned down her legs so that she wouldn't be able to kick his irritating face, then he grabbed her wrists and pinned them down so fast…faster than saying 'Uncle'. Her breath came out like pants and she stared up at his face with what seemed like fright and anger mixed together.

Reaver chuckled at her desperate attempts that led to nowhere, he leaned down so close, he would've kissed her…no, he wanted to tease her. She closed her eyes and turned her head away from him, He rested his head on her neck and she whimpered a bit and took a sharp breath…it shuddered out of her, "Get off of me you drunken freak." Reaver chuckled and then leaned away from her once more, only to stare at those gray eyes that pierced him like daggers, he noticed that they would twinkle sometimes. With hate, love or even laughter. His signature smirk grinning across his elegant features, "Tsk my Princess, I can't do that. Not after all that trouble that you caused, your luck seems to just keep running out. Doesn't it?" He leaned down and stared the girl in the eyes, she even stared back…hard. He used one hand to pin both her wrists down, then his free hand went to her collar bone, gently caressing the lovely skin…just like a doll's skin. "Shall we begin?"

Nightingale shivered at the deviant's touch, his voice chilled her and his eyes gleamed with lust. Not for her love, but for something stronger…he didn't want to torture her out of love, he just wanted to have his fun. Suddenly, she grew frightened…she was deathly scared. Her body began to shudder with cold shivers and goosebumps appeared on her skin. Her eyes began to tear and she started to cry, not the quiet cute girl cry. But the wailing like a widow cry. Her loud cry filled the room and echoed off the walls. "P-P-Please don't! I-I don't want to! Please!" Reaver seemed to have twisted his face in disgust at the girl's sudden out burst, it was annoying. He leaned away from her and quietly groaned. 'What's this sudden change of mood? What's wrong with her, just when I think that I have gotten her, something new pops up.' His thought echoed across his mind and he 'tsked'. He sat up straight and then let go of her wrists, moving aside and laying on his back on his bed. He would wait until her strange crying spree ended. 'How annoying.' But nonetheless, he smirked slightly.


	8. Chapter 8

**Nightingale**

**Chapter 8: Maid meets Solider; Princess bares Industrialist**

**"She's got both hands in her pocket, And she won't look at you. Won't look at you. **

**She hides true love."**

**-Lady GaGa**

**~OOO~**

Her aquamarine gold speckled eyes darted everywhere with fright…worry. And her blonde curls bounced crazily, slapping across her back. She ran and ran, not even taking a look behind her…just like Nightingale told her. Lizzie gasped as she entered the sewers, the stench had gotten to her. She sucked in a breath and continued to run off into the sewer waters. Lizzie gasped as she stumbled through the water, coughing slightly at the stench. She held her some of her cloak up to her face and trudged quickly but lazily through the waste water. Sweat beaded on her forehead and her breathing was coming out with sharp gasps, it was becoming quite painful. Lizzie did not stop one bit, she was even luckier getting a carriage and sneaking through Bowerstone Industrial into these sewers without someone approaching her for acting suspicious.

Lizzie finally made it through the water and then kneeled down on the dusty dirt. Panting, the ring on her index finger gleamed brightly…it was a gift from her mother.

**~OOO~**

_"Elizabeth…Lizzie!" Her mother's soft but shrill voice rang throughout the garden in their backyard. Lizzie sat up suddenly upon hearing her mother's voice. She smiled brightly, her soft pink lips slightly parted upon looking down at her flower cap that she had started to construct. She got up and dusted off her short blue dress and stockings, then she grabbed her unfinished flower cap and ran through the short field until she saw her mother's tall and lean figure come in sight. Lizzie smiled sweetly at her as she approached her, her british accent was light but it is still heard when she spoke. Her mother warmly embraced her and then straightened out the beautiful girl's soft blond hair. "Hello, Mother. I was beginning to wonder when you would get home!"_

_Her mother giggled delicately and looked at her softly, "There weren't that many people during my shift so I had to stay a while. Did you take care of the house while I was gone?" Lizzie looked up from her flower hat and then nodded softly. She delicately intertwined a flower into her mother's ginger hair, it was a beautiful color really. "It's as clean as a palace. I tried not to wreck it. Are Father and Sister home yet?" Her mother chuckled at the girl's response and touched the daisy that now seemed integrated with her hair. Lizzie had always been good with sewing, cooking, and flowers. Those delicate long fingers of hers worked but managed to still look as soft as a baby's skin. "No darling, not yet. But I bet they'll be here soon. Right now, I have something important to give you, come." Lizzie cocked her head to the side but nonetheless followed after her mother through the garden._

_Her mother sat down on the ground next to her daughter and then unhooked something from her neck, it was a necklace. Lizzie cocked her head to the side, 'Funny, how come I hadn't seen that before?' Her mother laid the small necklace on her hand…it was a pouch attacked to the chain. Lizzie looked up at her mother with a confused gaze and said, "What's in that, Mother?" Her mother, Angel, laughed. "Patience, love. Listen closely. In my family, we have this tradition." She looked up excitedly at her daughter as she began to open up the pouch, Lizzie smiled. Her mother looked so cute when she smiled like that. There was always that sweet laughter in her voice whenever she spoke. "Whenever a child in the family turned 15 years old, we would give them a special ring to wear that would represent who they were. Your sister has one." Lizzie looked up with realization. "Ah! I was wondering how she had gotten her hands on that, rings aren't always the cheapest thing around." Her mother giggled and continued._

_"Hold out your index finger, Elizabeth." Lizzie nodded slowly and then held out her right hand, she watched her mother pull out a golden ring. Goodness, it was so beautiful, tears began to rim Lizzie's big eyes. The ring was of pure gold, there were emeralds integrated into, they wrapped around the ring in swirling designs and in the center was a flower made out of diamonds. The ring felt light and wonderful on her hand, her mother sighed with a smile on her face. "Oh, Lizzie. Look at you…come here." Elizabeth bit her lip and then finally hugged her mother tightly, "Thank you so much, Mother!" Her mother leaned away and then picked up Lizzie's right hand, staring down at her index finger. "I thought that a flower represented your fragileness, your sweetness, and your love for flowers. I'm glad you like it, take good care of it." Lizzie nodded and then laid her head on her mother's lap and continued to construct her flower hat while her mother sang quietly to her. Everything seemed perfect that early afternoon._

**~OOO~**

Lizzie gasped and opened her eyes, she swallowed a whimper and wiped away a few fresh tears. Lizzie continued to quickly make her way until she seemed to be looking around at crates and boxes, it was extremely dark and if she wasn't mistaken she swore she heard loud snoring coming from somewhere. Lizzie's trembling hand went to the hidden handkerchief and she pulled it out, squinting her eyes to see the writing etched on it. She slowly and quietly began to follow after the snoring that echoed off the walls ahead of her.

It seemed to have been completely dark where she was but now the snoring was in the room she had entered. Lizzie squinted her eyes to look around, then gasped a bit. There were people sleeping on the floor! Weapons ready and poised for attack. She put a hand over her mouth to cover up the escaped gasp that might awake someone who was a light sleeper. Lizzie began to take sudden and quick steps back, then the heels of her worn out boots bumped against something and she felt herself tittering backwards. The light yelp escaped out of her lips and she heard the person she was falling on grunt with the sudden pain.

Ben tilted his head to the side, somewhere in his sleep he was hearing noises. The silent scuffing of boots or something…and then a sudden gasp and finally he felt a sharp pain as something or someone seemed to have kicked him. His eyes snapped open and he saw a shadow loom over him, falling backwards. No one else should be awake right now! It most be a spy or an intruder. He growled and then grabbed the stranger as they fell and flipped then on their back, pinning them down. There was a yelp or a scream. 'What a girly boy…and their shoulders…soft like a girl's?' He heard other people stir and grab their weapons. Walter had flipped on the switch for the generator lights and he yelled out to him, "Ben! What's wrong?" But all Ben could do was stare at the mignon blonde girl with strange big eyes, she looked helpless pinned underneath him…she looked like she had picked a fight with a bandit or something.

Lizzie stared up at the blonde young man with wide eyes. He was dressed like a solider and there was a blood stain here and there. Her eyes finally shifted away from his and she stared around at all the people who began to gather around the so called Ben. She tired to move her fingers but the man tightened his grip, immediately making her stare back up at him. He was very handsome indeed, if someone were to describe, maybe even devilishly handsome. "What are you doing here? Your not a spy are you, of Logan's?" Lizzie stared for a while and then her lips parted, a strange squeaking noise came out and then she tried again, "N-no! I was sent here by Princess Nightingale! She freed me…if..if you'll get off of me, sir, I'll show you my proof." Lizzie swallowed the knot in her throat and waited for Ben to get off of her.

Ben couldn't help admire the girl's delicate features. Long curly blonde hair and strange watery blue-green eyes with golden specks in them. Her cheeks remained a dusty pink no matter the situation and her fingers were long and delicate, soft as silk. Finally the frightened girl began to speak, she was stuttering but managed to finally get her message out. "Nightingale! What, what's happened to her?" He quickly got up off the girl, considering that she was fragile looking though she was at least an inch shorter then him. He held out his hand which the girl hesitantly took, finally she stood to her full height and he noticed what she was wearing. A cloak wrapped around her lean figure and underneath she wore a maid's outfit. The girl was carrying a pack of belongings and her stockings were stained with mud and grime. He liked the way her fingers brushed against his when he helped her up.

Lizzie held out the scribbled on handkerchief to a tall old man, 'He must be Sir Walter Beck. And that man who pinned me down must be Ben Finn.' She watched Walter's face contort into worry and sorrow, he shook his head and gritted his teeth. "That girl just seems to run into all kinds of trouble. But rest assured, this young lady is a very close friend of the Princess. She's a friend, no one harms her." Sir Walter Beck stared kindly down at the shaken up Lizzie and patted her back, "It's alright, your safe here in the Resistance. Ben didn't mean to harm you, we're all on edge." Lizzie nodded at the kind man, "Yes. I'm actually surprised that I escaped. Night wouldn't let me help her. She told me to run and not to come back…" suddenly, tears started trickling on her cheeks and she sniffled a bit, holding a hand up to her right eye.

Page took the handkerchief from Walter and whispered a curse, she bit her lip and told the crowd of curious people about the Princess's encounter with Reaver. Soon threats and curses and raised fists rumbled throughout the room. Page yelled over the men and women, "ENOUGH! We can't go after the Princess, I want to help her as well, but I know that she wouldn't want that. I may not trust her as much, but I have this feeling that I can believe in her. She told Elizabeth that she would come back, we'll trust in her words and knowing it's the Princess, she will come back. Everyone, please settle down and go back to sleep." A few disapproving stares but soon most of the rebels had laid back into their bed rolls. Page walked past Walter and patted Elizabeth until the girl had seemed to stop crying.

Ben furrowed his eyebrows at the girl named Elizabeth, he watched Page pat her back gently, then she ushered the girl along to get cleaned up as well as some new clothing. Ben watched her walk further and further away, Walter patted his back hard and chuckled when Ben lurked forward…driven out of his trance. "Stop gawking, get back to sleep." Ben waved his hand at the old buzzard, he watched the girl turn her head slightly and gaze at him before following Page towards the room with the fresh but cold water. "I'm not tired. I think I'll stay up for a while." Walter shook his head and then shrugged, "Suit yourself."

**~OOO~**

Lizzie walked out of the room with fresh new clothing that Page had offered her, telling her that the clothing that she carried wouldn't work down here. Lizzie graciously put it on though it made her feel a little…open. She was wearing short shorts and a camisole with a light jacket and her worn out ankle boots. Lizzie's natural blush began to spread as she looked at herself in the cracked mirror before going back to the room where everyone slept. Page had told her there was a bedroll out ready for her to set her belongings with and there was. Page even offered to begin training the girl with a gun and Walter said he would help her sword train. Lizzie felt a pang of excitement, so much that it had given her a slight headache. Lizzie decided that she wanted to sit in front of the warm fire, she sat down on the crate and warmed her cold hands.

Ben looked up to see the girl reemerge freshly washed and clothed. He had to admit, she looked pretty nice with that casual outfit but she looked a lot more ladylike with her dress on. He began to whistle and then awkwardly made his way towards her, he watched her slightly fidget when he approached near her. Nonetheless she continued to warm her hands. Ben sat down next to her and cleared his throat. 'This…is awkward.' He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to make himself apologize for nearly hurting Elizabeth.

Lizzie's face turned a bit pink when he sat down next to her, he continued to fidget and move his hands in a different position. She pursed her lips so that she could keep her laughter shut in her mouth, he was trying to apologize, wasn't he? Lizzie furrowed her eyebrows in shame, 'I should too. For accidentally stepping on him.' Lizzie breathed in and then sighed so quietly, it would have to be pin drop quiet to hear it. Then both of them turned towards each other with awkward looks on their faces. It was like they rehearsed it for the same words spilled out of their mouths, "I'm sorr-" "I didn't mean to hur-" They both stared at each other and then soon their laughter echoed throughout the corridor.

Ben finally stopped chuckling and held his hands out towards the fire, "Ladies first." He cleared his throat again, sure Page was pretty and fun…but he only liked to tease her. Lizzie seemed to be the complete opposite of Page. She was fragile, quiet and shy while Page was the other way around.

Lizzie smiled and then put her hands on her lap, she felt like she was warm enough…especially with all that hearty laughing. The only person she would've laughed so much with would have to be Nightingale. "Thank you. Um..w-what I meant to say was, I'm sorry for stepping on you. I was panicking when I suddenly saw that there were actual people sleeping on the floor." She giggled a bit at her own pathetic excuse, she had always been a jumpy sort of person.

Ben concentrated on her soft voice as he watched the fire, he noticed that she had an accent. He raised his eyebrows at her apology and cackled a bit. 'She's laughing at herself. Eh, she's not the only person.' Ben looked at her this time to see her examining him, she was observant, wasn't she? He cleared his throat a bit. "It's alright, after runnin through all that's happened to you tonight, I can't blame you. And I'm sorry for pinning you down like that, I didn't realize that you were…you know…a girl until the lights turned on. Um. You aren't hurt…right? " Elizabeth had just smiled and shook her head, Ben smiled and took a sigh of relief. He looked up at her again and nodded his head awkwardly, "So. It's Elizabeth, right?"

Elizabeth looked away from the fire back at him and slightly grinned, cocking her head to the side. "It is. But you can call me Lizzie, if you want." She giggled a bit when Ben nodded slowly, "Elizabeth is a nice name…I mean! Lizzie is also wonderful!" Elizabeth watched his face turn red, she put a hand over her mouth and began to laugh, "Thank you…you know, Ben is also a very nice name." Ben looked over at her and smiled. Then he held his palm up and spread his fingers out, she looked at him awkwardly and placed her palm on his. Her hand overall was much smaller than his, but her fingers were almost as long as his. "U-um. What was the point of this, Ben?"

Ben realized what he had done and looked at her with a stupid grin on his face. He used his free hand to tap at his chin, "Now that you mention it, I don't bloody know!" Soon their laughter filled the now quiet corridor again. Lizzie put her hand back down to Ben's dismay and sighed. "I hope Night's alright. Reaver is a clever man." Ben nodded and awkwardly patted her shoulder. "He reminds me of a snake." Lizzie smirked.

**~OOO~**

Nightingale finally stopped crying, 'What's wrong with ME? How did that happen? Now he's going to use that against me.' She rolled over to her side, her back facing the industrialist. She sighed deeply, maybe it was just all that had happened to her mashed together…it just all turned into one badly stitched blob of pain that had to burst out sometime…and it finally had, at the worst time. Nightingale knew it was also that she was just afraid of **that **happening to her. She knew she was an adult, but to get tangled up with a man like Reaver and having something so precious stolen from you…it was another piece of pain to make her cry about. She was lucky though…he didn't do what he had intended. 'What stopped him?'

Reaver folded his arms under his head and felt the weight shift as the Princess turned her back towards him, he chuckled. "Now, now, Princess. There's nothing to be embarrassed about. We all have those things that we're afraid of." Nightingale had seemed to make a hissing sound now, she turned back over and stared at him, propped up by her elbows. "Listen you. I'm not afraid of a man like you, it just…happened. I don't know, just don't talk about it." He raised his nicely shaped eyebrows and then smirked again, 'Probably plotting against me.' Then out of nowhere, she cocked her head the side, "What are you afraid of?" Reaver's eyes had widened out of shock for just a second, but it was probably enough to show the Princess that he did have something…Oakvale. He chuckled deeply. "As nice as your buttocks look from here, _ma belle_, that would be none of your _enterprise_." Nightingale shook her head, 'He really loves his French. That had to have meant business, but some of the things he says…I don't even get.'

Nightingale blushed after she realized he had been looking at her bottom most ravenously, she sat up and sat down cross legged. "Hm, thank you. But I don't appreciate perverts looking at my ass, thank you very much. And your French…" Reaver turned his head to look at her, then he chuckled when she changed her sitting position. "There you go with your foul mouth. But…what about my French?" He smiled deviously while cocking an eyebrow. Nightingale leaned her head on her hands. "I don't understand a word your saying…it's irritating."

Reaver smirked and then sat up, "All the better, _ma belle_." Then he eyed the Princess and grinned slightly, she was getting irritated. "No. Seriously, what are you even saying half the time? Like…what does _ma belle_ mean?" Reaver seemed to have dazed off, he looked expressionlessly down at his mattress sheets, she reminded him of someone. Someone that he indeed used to love…when he could love. It all went back to that one place…Oakvale. He remembered despite that being about 500 years ago. It had been a happy little town, but it was soon ambushed by bandits…the townsfolk had built it again. The girl he loved was the girl of his dreams. He still remembered that dazed look as he picked up her dead body, contorted in strange twists. She had brown hair and green eyes…and she was beautiful. For some reason…when he looked at that…_idiote d'une princesse_, he remembered…her.

Nightingale looked at him with an irritated look, he wasn't even paying attention, was he? Her lips pressed into a thin line and she began to snap her fingers in his face. It had worked for he had in one flourish grabbed her hand, giving her a slight glare. "Princess, it's rude to snap your fingers in peoples' faces." Nightingale pulled her hand away with some force, he left a red ring around her wrist…she glared at him before rolling her eyes, she knew some French, there was this one phrase. "_Imbécile narcissique._" Reaver stared at her and then cackled, "_Vous êtes tout à fait stupide. Ne te force pas, salope_." Nightingale stared at him with a dumbfounded look, "W-what?" By the tone of his voice and the slight smirk along with it…the sentence sounded offending. Reaver patted her thigh, "Precisely." Nightingale got up off the bed and sighed, she went for her weapons, she was leaving…it was out right ridiculous staying here any longer. Before she could get too far, he grabbed her hand once more and cocked his head to the side. "Where do you think your going, _ma belle_?"

Reaver watched her stare at him for a while, she cocked an eyebrow and put her free hand on her hip. "I'm going to an inn. I'm tired and I need to get ready for tomorrow morning. Hero stuff..you know." He stared at her with boredom on his face and then sat up, suddenly pulling her down on the bed. He pinned her down and leaned over her, "It's so late at night, no one would want to deal with your nagging. Why not stay at my lovely abode for the night?" Her gray eyes seemed to have widen and she frowned, "No, Reaver." Reaver cocked his eyebrows disapproving and let go off her, walking up to a window, he opened it and stared outside. Suddenly he cupped his hands and smirked before beginning. "My, My…so stubborn. Are you sure you won't reconsider after I say a few underground areas ar-" The girl had pulled him in by the back of his coat so sharply that he had bumped up against her. She turned him around and jabbed a finger against his chest, "FINE! Listen, no groping, no annoying, and no tricks." He clapped his hands together and shut the window, "Marvelous darling."

**~OOO~**

Nightingale closed her eyes, the room was dark and she sighed finally. Peace. Her bedroll was comfortable and warm, she was still irritated though. Reaver wouldn't let her leave his room so she was forced to sleep in here. He even offered for her to sleep with him, but of course, she rejected the offer and took a bed roll and decided sleeping on the floor was much more comfortable. She furrowed her eyebrows, it felt like someone was gently tickling the back of her neck, then she felt a slight breath on her neck. Her eyes snapped open and she rolled on her side to see Reaver wolfishly smirking at her. She opened her mouth to say something but all that came out was a groan, then she stuffed her head in the pillow.

Reaver chuckled softly at the reaction of the Princess. He was still slightly boozed and trying to sleep didn't work so he did the next best thing to cure his boredom, annoy the lovely rebel Princess. "So. Who was this Elliot boy of yours?" He saw the way Nightingale suddenly froze, then he rested his head on his arm which was propped up by his elbow.

Nightingale picked up her head again and stared at his face, he was waiting for her to continue with an expressionless look. "E-Elliot was my crush, he was my best friend, and he was my brother. And I miss him." Then she laid her head down on her pillow and looked up at Reaver's face, he seemed to be smirking. She closed her eyes, slightly annoyed, "You want to know more, don't you?" She heard him sigh approvingly, "What more would you expect, my dear?"

"Idiot."

"Come now Princess, I'm filled with boredom and like I said, your my number one source of entertainment."

"….Fine."


	9. Chapter 9

**Nightingale**

**Chapter 9: Story time**

**"Friendship is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies."**

**-Plautus**

**~OOO~**

Nightingale opened her eyes again to find Reaver staring at her with an expressionless look. She knew there was no way of getting out of this one, but…why did he care? Maybe he was simply curious…it couldn't hurt to tell him about Elliot. It wasn't like he could hurt him…he was already…gone. Her eyes stung a little, she cursed herself for feeling all miserable again. He would simply smirk and tease her about her over emotional and sensitive nature. She leaned her head in a little more comfortable position and cleared her throat. "Any day, _petit oiseau_." Before starting she casted him an angry glare and started, "I'll begin when Elliot and I first met."

_"I was only 7 years old when we first met. My mother always warned me to be careful with trees and I would always ignore her, well, it bit me in the back pretty hard that day."_

_"What a naughty girl…"_

**"**_Shut up, Reaver. Anyway, after I was rudely disturbed-"_

_"I'm sorry, my dear."_

_"….are you done?"_

_"Ha. Possibly."_

_"ANYWAY. I was outside and Logan had clearly told me that I shouldn't be outside. I was never really good with being told to not do things…it only made me want to do it more. So after being bored watching some clouds…I decided to climb a tall tree that day. My mother had it planted and told me to watch it grow…that it would grow taller than any building. By the age I was then, it had grown very tall. It was extraordinary…the view was spectacular, breathtaking. Everything just looked so…beautiful from up in that tree."_

_"Whatever happened to it? There seem to be barely any trees around the castle anymore."_

_"…He had cut it down…it was old and it grew even taller. I remembered right when I turned 17, I climbed it once more. When I saw the land, it no longer had that beauty. But the tree had grown so tall, it took me a while to carefully climb back down. Logan claimed it to be dying, he ordered it cut down. That was a special tree, my mother watched it everyday."_

_"Maybe once you become Queen then you could plant a new one…hm, that is if you make it out alive. Hmm, ma belle?"_

_"Heh. Sure. Shall I continue? I was on my way climbing down, then I suddenly noticed how high it had been. I wasn't noticing that my foot was beginning to slip and then suddenly I felt myself falling, it was quite a height..but my leg had gotten a branch and I landed, my leg had been broken. The only thing I felt was pain and the only thing I heard was my crying. Heh. Elliot had been outside…apparently my mother and his mother were friends and they had come to visit. Elliot was playing alone and then he saw me crying and clutching my leg. He ran straight for me and then picked me up. The first things he said to me were: "Don't worry, Princess! I'm here to rescue you! Just hold on tight and I'll quickly hurry you to your mother." The look on his face was of complete worry…he was straining his self but he still managed to get me to my mother."_

Reaver stared at the rebel Princess with a slight scowl on his face. She had such a lovestruck look on her face while she stared down at her pillow with a smile on her face. He smirked and then propped up his arm in a more comfortable position. She was such a silly minx.

_"When I was in the infirmary after my mother went to go get my father and brother, he had walked in with…hehe…a few roses in his hands. He had them hiding behind his back, but I clearly saw them. He blushed and handed them to me and I took them greatly. The next thing I did was on complete impulse…I just kissed his cheek. Both of us stared at each other like we saw my brother in a tutu-"_

_"It's not nice to imagine the dear King in a tutu, Princess."_

_"…we were kids. Now..just shut it! We started to laugh and then I said, "Thank you. That was very brave of you. Will you be my strong knight when you grow older?" Elliot kneeled down against the bed and smiled so brightly, I felt like I had been blinded. He held my hand and then wrapped his pinky finger around mine. Then he said: "You bet I will, your highness, you bet." I just laughed and then replied, "Please call me Night." That's when we first met…we had been close then. But..I'm sure you…heard what had happened."_

Nightingale yawned a bit and covered her mouth and then shook her head a bit, she stared at Reaver for a while and then suddenly stuffed her head into her pillow. "Alright, Night." She heard Reaver chuckle, suddenly he picked her up and then laid her head on his lap, "But my little minx, I'm still not tired. Are you sure you won't recon-" Nightingale put her hands up and then stared up at him with a scowl, "Yes! I'm absolutely…positively sure." He had a gleam in his smoldering eyes, she felt the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stand up, "Ok…on with the stories…" He raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow and then she blushed a bit when he began playing with her hair. For some reason, it felt natural..though she knew this man had no REAL feelings for her…it was impossible for this man to love, she'd probably have a heart attack if he actually found a woman to settle in with. Nightingale dared not argue with him at the moment…if she did, she wouldn't be leaving his mansion in a long…long time. She promised Lizzie…she promised everyone.

_"Oh. Haha..I remember this one time, it had been many years since we first became friends. Now we were practically joined at the hip. I had been outside waiting for him to arrive from practice with Walter. I was 16 years old and he had been 17 years old. I was minding my own business when this one boy named Percy had come up to me…he tried to flirt and get me to come along with him…but I was no fool. I even knew his mother, but despite my threats. He still bugged me."_

_"He grabbed my hand and had me pulled real close, "I've never really been close to you…but now that I am. Your actually even more attractive them people say. Come on..let's go have some fun. I know the perfect place." I had given him my signature glare and started to pull away from him…he began to get upset and the grip on my wrist was starting to hurt me. "Oh come on, babe, don't be like that." That was when Elliot had popped up to save the day. He was so silly to confront Percy…the boy was at least a year older than him and not to mention taller and stronger."_

_"My, Percy…what a vulgar boy. I would've done away with him."_

_"Oh really? He reminds me of you."_

_"Hehehe…Princess, you are just like a sharp curved dagger."_

_"I'll take that as a compliment…and will you please! Get your hands out of my hair!"_

_"Your hair is quite lovely…I'd rather not."_

_"…fine."_

_"Elliot had pulled me behind him, his face was so red with anger…even I was scared of him. He pointed his finger at the boy's face and said the most bravest thing ever: "You have insulted this maiden's honor!" I felt as if I was as light as a feather. Then Percy in his anger shoved Elliot. "And what are you…the Princess's luggage boy?" Elliot shoved him back and suddenly I saw Percy punch him right at the lip, it was badly busted. Blood was bleeding out badly. I tried to stop the two, but they were being out right ridiculous and not listening to me. They both came down in a heap of madness, pulling at each other's hair…punching each other here and there. I ran to go and get higher authority and luckily found Walter. Percy was then dragged off to his mother and highly embarrassed."_

_"I helped Elliot up and hugged him tightly, he just chuckled and shook his head. I pulled out my handkerchief and began to gently clean off the blood on his face. His smile brightened my day instantly, he was so happy to see that I hadn't been hurt. "You were always so sweet." Was his reply. I swore, my face turned so pink…I just kissed him on the cheek and held his hand while guiding him to the infirmary within the confines of the castle."_

Reaver chuckled, 'Such innocent love…that had been shattered into tiny glass pieces. 'Ah, _ma belle_.' He watched her yawn once more…her eyes were slightly opening and closing. Her features were softening, he gently swiped a piece of stray hair from her flawless face. Her eyes opened slightly and she stared up at him with those strange gray eyes. The eyes of her mother. Then they closed again. He smirked and leaned in close to her face. The soft and slow rise and fall of her chest indicated that she was falling in and out of consciousness. "My dear, without that scowl of yours…you look just like a peaceful Princess." Her shoulders slightly shook and she quietly cackled. "Hush…I'm tired..and..wish…to…" by then her eyes had completely shut and her sentence had trailed off leaving Reaver hanging staring down at the sleeping doll like figure.

Reaver's lips hung by her ear and he whispered softly…as if humming a lullaby. "Sweet dreams, _Belle au bois dormant_." He gently lifted her up and set her down on her bed roll, shifting the blanket up to her slender waist. Reaver stretched his hand out to gently caress her face but stopped midway. Quickly pulling his hand back, he stealthily got up and laid down on his bed. Her story telling had taken a toll on him, he smirked a bit and stared up at the ceiling that was marked with his trademark '**R**' until he fell restlessly asleep.

**~OOO~**

Nightingale couldn't quite remember what happened when she had finally fallen asleep or how she ended up with a comfy blanket. No matter. She stirred a bit when she felt the first rays of light beat on her closed eye lids…they emitted a red screen over her eyes that made her slightly scowl from time to time. Nightingale sighed out in slight frustration and put her hands above her head, it was her nature, to sleep in odd positions throughout the night. Sometimes she would end up on her back or her side, then she would be horizontal or face first…it was just how she slept peacefully. Her mind grew distracted again…there…a dream. Everything was bright and subdued, a soft hue. Something you would wish were true. And there…there was Elliot smiling at her, holding out his hand. Nightingale didn't refrain herself, she gently held onto his hand and they began to walk through the mystical wonderland. A waterfall roared next to the bridge they were crossing…where was this? She furrowed her eyebrows in her sleep.

Reaver pushed himself up from the tub and stepped out…soaked to the bone and smelling fresh like roses. He stretched a bit and then barked to one of his maids for a towel. The blushing maid was looking away as she handed him his towel and his outfit for the day. A dress shirt with a black vest, white trousers and black calf high boots. He dried his self down and quickly pulled on his trousers and boots…then he pulled on his dress shirt and turned to his maid. She quickly began to button up his shirt and then quickly tended to his vest and cravat. Reaver smirked at the blushing maid, he then frowned a bit. "Is the young lady up yet?" The maid seemed to have jumped, completely off guard. She began to clean off any loose lint and then stepped away, folding her hands in front of her. "N-no Master. Though, she is stirring a bit. Her facial expressions are quite interesting." Reaver wolfishly smirked at the maid's comment then replied, "Go now. Prepare my breakfast…I have a busy day ahead of me. Chop, chop." The maid quickly bustled out right when he began to clap his hands together. Reaver walked out of the bathroom and entered his chambers…he smirked at the the Princess who seemed to be in a strange position.

He kneeled down on the ground next to her, his shadow looming over her. Her arms were splayed above her head and she was in a 90 degree angle, at least her mouth was not slack…he chuckled darkly for a bit. Then he saw the way her eyebrows furrowed and her lip twitched a bit. Suddenly the girl began to laugh in her dream, it was girlish and giggly. It made Reaver raise his perfectly shaped eyebrows. He smirked a bit, then a pearly smile showed itself at the strange outburst of the rebel Princess. "My..my. _Quelle belle au bois dormant maladroite_." He swiped his jet black perfectly styled hair back in place and tapped the Princess slightly. She stirred, moaning a bit. Then he leaned inches away from her face and gently swiped his finger down her neck. It made her shiver a bit, then he whispered, "Wakey, wakey, my dear." The Princess groaned and then swiped her pillow out from under her and smacked Reaver gently with it before laying her head on it again. "What's…what's gotten into you, Elliot?" She yawned and then her eyes slowly opened, staring up at the face of an extremely irritated Reaver.

Nightingale cocked her head to the side and then jumped a bit, he was way too close to her face. She slide away from him and then yawned yet again, "Good mornin-" then she took a good look at his face and hair. She covered her mouth with her hand and then began to hysterically laugh. "Pfft. What the hell happened to you? Hahaha!" Reaver growled a bit and then stood up, he faced a mirror in his room and began to fix his hair, smirking now slightly. "Really, _Princesse_. I don't enjoy rude awakenings either…but honestly. Here I was trying to wake you up with care and you hit me with that…pillow." Nightingale wiped away a few fresh tears of laughter and stretched a bit, "Well. Jasper wasn't there to warn you to be careful waking me up, be glad you didn't have to deal with anything other than that today. I wonder how Jasper ever dealt with it..?" She shrugged and then looked at Reaver who had a slight sneer on his face. "Yes. However did your haughty servant deal with such a Princess?" He smirked a bit and snapped on some black gloves and grabbed his cane, she raised an eyebrow at him. 'No top hat?'

**~OOO~**

Lizzie tumbled down onto her back with a sharp gasp. She gritted her teeth and watched Walter chuckle, "It's a good thing your so determined. Here." He gently hoisted her up and they stood in position again…watching each other to see who would make their move first. Her fragile fingers gripped the hilt of the sword tightly and she watched Walter's every move. Page had been teaching her a few flexible tricks that could be used in battle, cartwheeling…back flipping…stuff that could help her get out of the way. She had easily mastered that, and shooting a pistol wasn't as hard as she had thought it would be. Her aim was apparently very good. It was the sword fighting that tipped her off…she was improving very well as Walter had told her, but she still felt like it wasn't enough. She felt like she wouldn't last long enough in a real battle. Lizzie wanted to be on the front lines, she wanted to show the enemy a piece of her mind.

Lizzie cartwheeled out of the way and ducked quickly to see the sword whizzing above her head, then she took this as her chance only to have the sword blocked inches away from Walter's face, he chuckled and and exclaimed, "Good! Good! You seem to just get faster and faster. Keep at it. Imagine me as a real enemy." Lizzie narrowed her aquamarine eyes at Walter's sword and then began to examine his posture, she rolled out of the way and then ducked, kicking her leg out and watching Walter tumble down with a grunt. The sword slipped out of his hand and she stood up tall and pointed her sword down at him with a slight smile…she had done it. She had done it. Walter started to rumble with laughter, "Bravo! Balls…your tougher than I thought. It reminded me when Nightingale had finally beaten me too." Lizzie giggled and helped him up to his feet, he loomed over her and then slipped his sword back in it's sheath.

Ben hooted with joy as Lizzie knocked Walter down out from his sturdy legs, she looked so happy…so strong. He made strange yelling noises and pumped his fist until the two had looked at him with the most annoyed looks. He chuckled and then walked over to Lizzie, he looked down at her and nodded. "That was something wasn't it. Ha! Walter, she knocked you right out, didn't she?" Walter wiped off his regalia and then rolled his eyes, "Alright boy, enough with the face shoving. Let's get something to eat." Ben looked at Lizzie, she seemed to be out in space, in a trance. "Lizzie. Do you want to eat?" Lizzie jerked her head up at him and smiled a bit, playing with her blonde curly hair. "N-no. Thank you two for asking me. I think I'll target practice a bit and then get something to eat." With that she smiled at the two and then pulled out her pistol, walking away towards the practice area.

Ben cocked his head to the side and looked at Walter, they both shrugged and Walter patted Ben on the shoulder. "Come on, I'm starving." Ben patted the large man's hand and looked at Lizzie's strutting figure that seemed to grow smaller and smaller. "I think I'll come in a few." Walter cackled for a second and shook his head, putting his hands up in a surrendering way. "Alright, lover boy, don't take too long. Swift wouldn't want to miss messing around with you." Ben smirked and shook his head, running towards the direction that Lizzie had ran.

Lizzie pointed her pistol up, aligning it with her line of sight. Her right eye was the better one and luckily she was right handed so it all fit together. Lizzie didn't close one eye, she felt that would just be a waste of her time so she reframed from that and kept both eyes open. The wooden target dummy had a painted pace, big eyes and sharp pointed teeth. She always smiled when she was target practicing. Lizzie focused on the target's head, she wanted to get a head shoot, after she was able to get one from a still figure, she would move onto the ones that moved in different directions for a challenge. Lizzie breathed steadily…in her mind, it was pin drop quiet and the only thing she could hear was her steady breathing. Then she pulled the trigger and watched as the bullet blitzed ahead, she gritted her teeth as the bullet went through the area where the bridge of the nose was suppose to be. She was so close! She sighed in annoyance and then put her hand down, thinking of a plan. Suddenly, she felt a breath at her neck and then she saw an arm lift up her hand once again, his face was so close…he could practically lean it on hers.

Ben lifted Lizzie's hand up and smiled, staring directly at the target, trying not to notice how Lizzie had seemed to smell like a garden of fresh flowers. Her fingers had instantly tightened and he chuckled softly, "You can't shoot someone with such a hard grip. Loosen up some, a firm grip." He touched her fingers and she seemed to instantly relax her hand. "Alright, now aim for his forehead, and breath steadily. Don't concentrate on anything else but the enemy in front of you. You won't be able to keep your aim straight. Now, that's better. Ready? Fire." He whispered into her ear, it was like he was sharing sweet secrets with her. It felt like he could feel her blush, it felt like it emitted it's heat at him. He smiled slightly.

Lizzie felt herself blush, she did what Ben told her and raised her eyebrows in surprise…it was helping! She breathed steadily and heard him whisper '_Fire_'. Lizzie pulled the trigger and felt the power of the pistol slightly jerk her wrist, then her mouth gaped as the bullet had whizzed right through the target's forehead. She smiled and then felt Ben let go of her hand and take a step back, he hooted with joy and she turned towards him, for some reason…out of impulse, she hugged him gently. He held her close…as if they were a couple and they hadn't seen each other in a while. Her face turned red and they both suddenly pulled away from each other. Ben cleared his throat and smiled down at her, "Erm. Good job, keep it up. Why don't you get something to eat…then continue practicing?" Lizzie smiled brightly at him and tucked her pistol back in his strap, she nodded, "That sounds great." She began to run ahead of him, turning her head and waving her arm, "Well! Come on!"

Ben chuckled and then shook his head, running up next to her, "Damn girl! Stop running so fast!" They both began running out of the practicing area…joking around with each other.

**~OOO~**

Nightingale pulled on her now clean woman's mercenary outfit, omitting the hat. Personally, she didn't like hats…she didn't even know that her outfit was taken by a maid in the middle of the night! Now she had to return the night suit that she had borrowed from one of the maids..they had literally forced her to wear it. Maids…she learned…were very persistent. Nightingale felt a slight tug on her hair and looked up at the mirror to find one of the maids brushing down her hair gently. "You have very lovely hair, Miss." Nightingale smiled a bit, she turned her head a bit to protest but the maid insisted, "Thank you. This is very kind of you." The maid waved her hand and shook her head. "There we go, dear. All clean and cozy. Master Reaver is getting a bit irritated with you locking the door to his room." Nightingale's eyes widened and she shook her head, "There's no way I would leave that door open! He would sneak in and see somethings that I don't want him to see! But now that I'm done, I'll unlock the door so that he won't shoot someone , and, thank you again." The elderly maid just smiled with a slight chuckle and headed towards the bathroom, to clean it up Reaver's mess.

Nightingale unlocked the door and then headed towards a window, she smiled and then opened it…the slight breeze felt wonderful, she loved the way her hair tickled her skin as it brushed past her. Nightingale sat on the frame of the window, one of her legs on the frame and then other dangling in the room, she closed her eyes and remembered when her mother would sing her a song. She didn't exactly understand what it had meant…but she had told Nightingale that a very special friend sang it when they first met each other near the Temple of Light. Nightingale quietly sucked in a breath and the words began to spill out of her mouth…she had a sort of soprano voice…and then it wasn't. It was mixed it and sounded absolutely lovely, her voice was high and but not in an annoying way…in a soothing way.

_"Down by the reeds_

_Down by the reeds_

_Swim the Sirens of Oakvale_

_Out to the seas_

_Down by the reeds_

_Down by the reeds_

_Float the souls left unbroken_

_By white balverines_

_Down by the reeds_

_Night blooming weeds_

_Embrace those who go dancing_

_In sad moonlit dreams_

_Down by the reeds_

_A twisted path leads_

_To banshees who breathe out_

_A cold winter's breeze_

_Nobody knows_

_Nobody sees_

_The Sirens of Oakvale_

_Down by the reeds." _

Reaver leaned against the door frame and smirked, 'What a voice…' he slowly twisted the knob and entered the room to find the Princess singing '_Down by the Reeds_.' He remembered that song, a long time ago…Fairfax castle…Lucien…the Heros. Hammer, the Hero of Strength would sometimes sing it. He remembered. Slowly, the tall man slinked towards the unhindered Princess who's voice could overcome many things. It was almost mesmerizing…he stood in front of her and cocked his had towards the smiling rebel.

Nightingale opened her eyes and slowly ended the long note, she stared out towards the horizon, it was a pretty view…the Millfields was a place of nature, not much was developed on it. The lake glittered and shone like the stars in the sky, as if to say that not one person would be able to overcome it's lapping waters. Nightingale took a sharp breath when she heard the clapping of gloved hands, she turned her head and raised her eyebrows at the deviant with that wolfish smirk on his face. "Bravo, _ma belle_, it was absolutely delicious!" She watched him lean against the frame and look down at her, his eyes smoldering again. "Thank you. Now, I have to get going."

Reaver watched as the Princess had swung both her legs out the window, preparing to climb her way down a pipe, he quickly grabbed her hand and cocked his head to the side with a curious smirk on his face, "Leaving so soon? Why not stay a while longer..hmmm?" He watched her hand ball into a tight fist of steel, she raised an annoyed eyebrow and fake smiled, "As much as I would love to, Reaver, I have a busy day ahead of me. Good bye." Reaver let go of her hand and then watched as she began to climb down the pipe and jumped the rest of the 10 feet and strut off with her hips swaying back and forth and her weapons following suit. He leaned his head against his palm and yelled out, "_Adieu_, my little minx!" He chuckled when she without turning around, saluted him and began to run off towards the actual town.

**~OOO~**

Nightingale coughed a bit as the waft of Bowerstone Industrial hit her hard in the face, she almost forgot how bad the stench was. Quickly and as quietly as she could, she began to slink her way towards the Resistance headquarters. She opened the door, and then quickly retreated to the sewers, thinking about the night with Reaver. For some reason, the tiny hairs on the back of her neck rose up, this was only going to get worse. It was only the beginning off all this nonsense.

**I am proud of myself for getting this chapter done. Not much happened, I'm just trying to get the relationship with the Princess and Reaver going. Anyway, feedback is very much appreciated! :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Nightingale**

**Chapter 10: His Wrath**

**"The streets were dark with something more than night."**

**-Raymond Chandler**

**~OOO~**

Nightingale kicked at the gravel as she walked and then looked around at the poverty known as Bowerstone Industrial with sorrow. It took her a shorter time to get here on carriage…imagine how long it would take to get here on foot. Children were in a group together at a corner of a shop, it was dark now…they shouldn't be out here. Her lips twitched into a slight pout, she began to make her way to them. They held out cupped hands and watched the few people around at this time pass by them without even thinking twice. She dug into her money pouch and then stopped in front of them. Their big eyes overwhelmed her, dirt covered every one of their faces and they're skin was sunken in. She cursed a bit in her mind and then strained a smile down at them. "I bet you guys are hungry."

The kids perked up and stared up at her, they nodded. "Yes, Mum. We are very hungry…orphans is we." The boy said with a pride smile, he seemed to be the ring leader. She blinked back sorrow and then held out her cupped hands, "I have a surprise…now, hold out your hands'. Yes, like that." She began to drop a few coins in each of the six orphan's hands' and watched them tear up with happiness, they all huddled around her and hugged her tenderly. Nightingale patted their heads and smiled, she kneeled down when one of the younger orphans tugged on her jacket. "What is it, sweetheart?" The girl blushed and then planted a quick kiss on Nightingale's pale cheek. She smiled and then kissed the girl on the forehead. "Be careful now, go get something to eat, alright?" The kids all nodded their heads and the ring leader smiled at her and replied, "If you ever want to come to our kip, your welcome, Mum. Thank you, bless your soul." Nightingale nodded contently and watched the orphans run off towards the meat and pie stands. She smiled and shook her head, turning around heading towards the Bowerstone Resistance.

Nightingale stared down the dark alley and sighed…kicking at the gravel once more. She didn't notice the dark and mysterious figure heading towards her, she bumped past his shoulder and quickly whipped around…gently gripping her gun strap, she stood up straight and quickly stuttered out, "Oh! I-I'm sorry!" The man turned his head slightly and then began to slowly walk off. His coattails blowing behind him and his hat covered his face…it had casted a shadow over it, blocking his features. She narrowed her eyes at him and then looked down at the ground before turning around. Then she double took, she kneeled down and then picked up the strange note that threatened to blow away from her grip. Her eyes widened when she saw her name written on it. 'What…?'

Nightingale looked up and yelled out towards the direction the shady man went, "Hey, did you dro-" he was gone. No…he just disappeared. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and then stared back down at the envelope. She opened it and then began to read it's contents. The raspy paper brushed against her soft hands.

_Dear Princess Nightingale,_

_Yes…I know it's you, not really a shocker. I bet you're wondering who I am and how this letter even reached you, hmm? That will be answered in no time but I believe I have something important to tell you. Yes, you. Elizabeth…Lizzie, isn't she just a sweetheart? Both of you started on the right foot and are already the closest of friends…do you remember when she told you about her mother and her sister. Do you remember what happened to them..? Oh..you do? That's marvelous! They were sold…remember. Lizzie longs for her mother's arms to gently rock her back and forth and she longs her mother to whisper to her…to tell her that it's alright. I know where she is. Hehehe…yes, I do. And I bet your itching to know, to tell or not to tell? Hmph. I'll tell you because I am a nice person._

_She is locked away in an abandoned warehouse, she was bought away from her original owner and is now the slave of another. How do I know all this, you say? Well now, I can't reveal my sources, now can I? The warehouse is approximately a straight path from the Reaver Industries…foppish man, no? Anywho, you stand facing away from Reaver Industries and go straight down the path…then turn left on the first alley and keep going straight…turn right and STOP. There….it will be there. It's windows are barred with wood and it's ominous…you'll know straight away when you see it. Happy trails…dear Princess…I do hope you find Lizzie's mother. Good day._

_-Anonymous_

Nightingale gritted her teeth and swiped her hair back in anger. Who was this person and why were they so detailed? How? How did they know all this! The letter had an ominous aura…there was no name given. She won't waste time, she had to give this to Lizzie and the headquarters…she had to go to that warehouse and rescue Lizzie's mother. She just had to. She stuffed the letter in her jacket pocket and ran, she ran for her life towards the Resistance.

**~OOO~**

The letter whipped and flapped around in her hands as the group began running away from Reaver Industries towards the alley, Nightingale skidded to a stop in front of the entrance to the alleyway, she panted and looked at Lizzie, Ben and Walter ran up to them. Walter kneeled over and held up his head, "Slow down a bit! I'm not what I used to be." Ben looked down at Lizzie's determined face, he could see the slight tearing in her eyes but she seemed to have swallowed a knot in her throat, "Nightingale. Are you sure you should trust this letter?" Nightingale looked up at the group with a stern stare, "Yes. How do you think this person received all this information? How. I need to find out.." then she walked over towards Lizzie and gently held her hand, "And this will be the only time to find your mother. I know this letter doesn't give us much hope, but all we can do is pray to the gods and wish for the best. Come on! We have to keep moving." Lizzie nodded seriously and then turned towards Walter and Ben, "I agree with Night." Ben and Walter looked at each other and they began to quickly jog onwards.

Nightingale came to a stop next to Lizzie in front of the warehouse, the ominous person had been right. It's windows were barred and it had that…creepy feeling to it. Lizzie shivered and watched Ben and Walter pant to a stop. Ben recuperated and then they formed a tight circle. "You girls go in and see if you can find Lizzie's mother, we'll guard outside just in case." Nightingale nodded and replied, "Sounds like a plan, come on Lizzie." Lizzie balled her fists so tightly, the edges of her nails dug into her skin. Ben stared at her and then on impulse held her hands and bent down a bit so that he could stare at the girl's beautiful eyes. "Hey..hey, come on. I know you can do this, there is no other chance. It's now or never, and…be careful." Lizzie smiled slowly and nodded, slightly biting her lip. "Thank you, Ben. Both of you…be careful." They nodded and split up.

**~OOO~**

Reaver looked out the window of his carriage with boredom. Could this driver go any slower? He rapped his cane against the ground of the carriage and yelled out, "We don't have all day! Faster or begone with you." The man seemed to have heard him for the swishing of the reins being whipped cracked throughout the air. He smiled contently and resumed to looking out the window…Reaver didn't think he would be leaving the Industries this late…it would take another hour just to get back to the Millfields. Then he narrowed his eyes out the window. That black mane of hair and those slender hips. Why! It was no other than the Princess! And there was his former maid too….then there was that rogue solider and the father figure. He barked once more, "Stop the carriage immediately." The carriage quickly jerked foreword and the door opened.

Reaver stepped out and glowered down at the man, "Some advice, lad, try to stop the carriage with more ease or there will be no tomorrow." The man gulped and crazily nodded his head. Reaver nodded with a smirk wide on his face and then began to tap away with his cane into the alleyway, "Stay with the carriage and don't go anywhere until I come back." And with the slight waving of is hand he was following after the group of rebels for some type of entertainment. If the Princess was involved, there would definitely be something interesting going on.

**~OOO~**

Nightingale pushed against the door with some effort. She groaned some because the door was barely opening. "Lizzie. Could you help me?" Lizzie quickly ran up the steps and they both began pushing on the rusted shut door. The creaking was getting louder and louder as the door opened wider. Ben and Walter looked at each other with sighs and then he commented, "Boy. We sure are good spies, not even a mouse heard us." Walter looked at Ben with an awkward look and shook his head, slightly rubbing his temple. "Shut up, Ben."

Nightingale and Lizzie both fell forward as they gave the door a final heave. Both of them pulled out their pistols and looked around the dark and eerie looking warehouse. They couldn't even see an inch in front of them. Nightingale looked at Lizzie with a sharp glance and nodded, "Wow. What a place…not very cozy, is it?" Lizzie shook her head, "No. Let's start looking around…she has to be here somewhere." Ben yelled out at them, "What do you two see?" Nightingale began to slowly walk, she yelled back, "Nothing really, it's quite dark in here. We'd have to look very closely."

Lizzie walked around a table, nearing a corner of the building. There was a slight gasp and she pulled her gun closer to her, aiming it at the corner. Then she walked closer to see…something shifting? 'What…what is that?' She narrowed her eyes and then they grew wide at once. That ginger hair outshone everything…it couldn't be. It was! Lizzie felt the knot tie up in her throat once more, she suddenly found it hard to breath. "M-mother? Is that you?" The woman was sobbing quietly, then she shifted, uncovering her face. There was a sharp gasp and then she spoke, "Lizzie! Dear! It's you!" Lizzie put a hand over her mouth and then gasped, she collapsed down in front of her mother and hugged her tightly, the sobbing of her mother grew louder. "M-mother. What's happened? Who did this to you? Why are you here?" The mother put her hands on Lizzie's cheeks and wildly shook her head, "No..no, no, no. You have to leave. It's a trap. Can you hear me? It's a tra-" the lights blindly flicked on.

Nightingale was hurrying towards Lizzie when the lights suddenly flipped on. She held her hands up to her face and squinted a bit to see Lizzie's wet face looking at her. Her arms were around a woman who was dirty. She was sunken in and there was patches of dry blood everywhere. She winced a bit and then shook her head looking around. 'How did these turn on?' Suddenly out of no where…guards began to emerge out of hidden areas. Her eyes grew wide and she pulled out her hammer with one hand and gripped her pistol firmly in the other. Lizzie wasn't going to let go of her mother…she knew it. Not after all this time, all she did was cover her mother's face. What were Logan's guard's doing here? It was a trap…wasn't it. A frustrated hiss escaped her lips and she stared at the few guards who began to circle her and then her eyes quickly shifted at the guards that began to approach Lizzie. The pistol was pointed up at the men and she didn't do anything…it was like she was frozen solid…only her red-ringed eyes dashed around wildly.

Nightingale heard clanging and yelling outside…from where she stood, she could see Ben draw his sword through the chest of a guard and then he pulled out his rifle and expertly shoot another. They wouldn't be able to help them in here…they were also busy. Who ever thought of this…sure took their time. Her eyes shifted back to the now close guards…she waited. She wanted to see if they would attack her first, she wasn't going to attack first. Nightingale was going to expertly examine them and then attack…she stared at a few at a time. That pose…they were getting ready. There! A few guards suddenly took a step forwards with their swords heading right for her, she smirked and then ducked, there were blood curdling screams and grunts as the guards accidentally tore at each. Then she gripped the hilt of her humongous hammer and swung her arm around, watching the blood splatter on the ground in pools. The bodies flew here and there, she knew it had been a good idea to choose the hammer. She was able to take out more enemies with one flourish. Then she quickly shifted her gaze at Lizzie who had gotten up and was slicing through the enemy carefully. The training that Walter and Page had given her was paying off, she was kicking ass.

Lizzie slit a guard's neck and threw him away from her, then ducked upon a swing of a sword and kicked the man down, with her foot she held him down and then thrust her sword into his chest. He screamed out, then she pulled up her pistol and shot a man a few times to bring him down. Lizzie felt a nick on her cheek and brought her hand up to the gushing blood, a bullet had whizzed past her pathetically. She turned around and shoot the marksman a few times before he tittered back with a twisted look of pain on his face. His mouth was open, but no noise had escaped.

Nightingale shot the man through the neck and watched the blood pile around him like droplets of red water, she gritted her teeth for a second and then thrust her hammer up an attacking guard's chin. The man's neck had twisted all the way around, permanently breaking it with a crack that sent him down to his painful death. Then she ducked and kicked a man's legs out from under him and sent her hammer mercilessly down on him. Nightingale felt a sting, she gasped and turned her head just in time to see a man slash a gash on her leg. She jerked down on one knee for a second and watched his sword head straight for her chest. The merciless rebel Princess rolled out of the way and powered up her Will, the flames glowed on her gauntleted hand and she gripped the man's face and watched him scream in agony of the searing flames that burned through him. It pained her to do this…even to these horrible men, but she kicked him back away from her.

Ben swiveled through the crowds of guards, cutting them down easily. There were choking sounds throughout the night that made him shiver, but he would not hold back…no not on these men. He stopped to watch Walter shoot three men down in a row and then slice another who had come too close to him. There were chants on either side of Ben and he turned his head to examine the two men that came full speed ahead on both sides of him with swords held high. He stabbed his sword through one man and then pulled the trigger to his rifle with his other hand a few times and watched the other man tumble down on the ground with a blood curdling scream.

Nightingale cartwheeled out of the way and then swung the hammer right on the guard's cheek. It was like slow motion, she saw the skin build up from the blow, then he suddenly flew back from the power of the hammer. Then…all of a sudden, she heard Lizzie scream out, it was high and screechy. It made her wince. Lizzie had both her legs sliced, leaving badly bleeding legs. She fell down in a heap and then crawled painfully towards her mother, to cover her, to protect her. Then…the guards stopped. They stood still. Like they had been frozen by time. Then they turned their bodies to the other side of the room. There stood a man with a Captain's regalia.

**~OOO~**

Reaver stealthily slinked through the dead bodies that kept piling up near Ben and Walter, his Dragonstomper .48 firmly grasped in his hand, in case he needed to shoot a few poor men. To not be seen, he quickly entered the warehouse and stayed near the shadows, enjoying the Princess mercilessly kill the men that approached her…his former maid wasn't that bad of a fighter, until of course she screamed out and fell down. Crawling pitifully towards a woman who seemed to have looked like she just dug herself out of a grave. Then all the action was stopped, it was like a pull of a trigger or a push of the button. Then he casted his dangerous eyes towards the man in the Captain's suit who was clapping delightfully at the scene in front of him.

Slowly, he began to make his way around the whole warehouse, watching the Captain grow closer towards the Princess, he finally made it behind the Captain and kneeled down quietly to watch what happens. Reaver's wolfish smirk spread across his beautifully chiseled face, this just kept getting more and more interesting. 'Ah, _ma belle_. Why do I see you in the most dire of moments?'

**~OOO~**

Nightingale shivered with every step the Captain had taken, he grew closer and closer to her until there was not but 20 feet separating the two. She quickly casted her wide eyes to look at Lizzie who was staring at her with fear. She was slowly shaking her head, as if to warn her that something bad was going to happen. Nightingale blinked her eyes and then turned her attention back at the man who…seemed…vaguely familiar for some odd reason. He had been clapping, she narrowed her eyes had him. 'The bastard..' she felt like spitting at his feet. Even if she hated Logan's guards, she still felt horrible killing these man. It was like a massacre, all the dead bodies, the blood piling up disturbed her gravely. "Ah. Enough fighting, my men. Settle down!" Nightingale's eye twitched, that voice clicked in her head, but from where?

Lizzie stared at Nightingale, the Princess was staring at the Captain with a fearless look on her face, even when she saw a slight wavering, the girl still looked positively dangerous. 'She's out of her mind! It's a death wish!' Her mother's grip tightened on Lizzie and she winced looking down at her legs, the blood was drying up but she felt soaked to the bone. The bleeding had stopped due to the pressure she was giving it but it still hurt. Lizzie wasn't sure if she would be able to stand up for a while. "Men. Surround those lovely ladies. Guard them with your lives." The Captain was being sarcastic, the tone clear in his voice. There were rumbles of chuckling going on and Lizzie stared up with fear as the guards circled them with their swords drawn…now there was no way to escape. Lizzie watched as Nightingale shook her a look with slight fear but most of worry. She shook her head and mouthed, "It's fine." Nightingale hesitated but nodded nonetheless.

Nightingale stared away from Lizzie and locked her gaze at the Captain who stared at her up and down. She sneered at him and wiped a trickle of blood that trailed down her cheek from her cut forehead. The Captain chuckled a bit and then bowed low, "It's an honor to see you again, Princess." Her eyes widened at his gesture and she gripped her pistol tighter. How did he know who she was? See her again? When had they even met, she didn't exactly recognize him, only his voice was sort of familiar. She glowered at him, "W-who are you?" Her right leg was starting to hurt and it grew a bit stiff…her blood had begun to dry.

The captain smirked a bit, then he began to cackle hysterically. The guards around him looked at each other and then began to silently but awkwardly chuckle. Then all their laughter got louder. Nightingale stared around the room, 'What's so funny?' She felt a slight shiver, it was as if she was suppose to know something. Then all of a sudden the captain's face grew a bit red from anger and he shouted out with a loud voice, "SILENT!" Nightingale flinched a bit, he made her want to crawl under a bed, but she knew there was no time for such a thing…there was never time for that. The captain grew a bit closer to her, she had the need to begin stepping back but stood still even if her body was slightly trembling from over exertion and fright. He bent over a little so that he was looking directly into her eyes, his green eyes gleamed with danger and he flipped his blond hair out of his eyes, "And what are you…the Princess's luggage boy?"

Her eyes widened with disbelief. It couldn't be…Percy.

Percy chuckled at the Princess's pathetic look, she was quite merciless looking now…completely different from the fluffy dressed girl he had seen at least a little more than 2 years ago. "Why so shocked, my dear Princess? I know it had been a while, but really?" Nightingale started to glare at him again, he narrowed his eyes at her. "What are you doing here with these men?" Percy began to walk in a circle around her, examining every inch of her…she was still the most beautiful woman he had seen…what was she now? 18? "Why. I'm simply commanding them. Can't you see? I am Captain of the Guard now. Logan's highest ranking officer…." he took a pause and stopped in front of her again, his deadly eyes locked with her passionate fired ones.

**~OOO~**

Reaver cocked his nicely shaped eyebrows, 'Oh dear. What a twisted surprise.' He was actually itching to shoot someone, it had been a while since he had this much fun..but he knew he couldn't, at least not at the moment. Someone would catch him if he played his most favorite sport. Target Practice. To think….out of everyone else, it had to be the boy Percy. He smirked, this was getting interesting quick and fast. The Princess looked absolutely shocked, but that fire in her eyes burned stronger and stronger. 'When will the fighting commense?' He yawned a bit and stared, 'The boy must be passionate and persistent. It takes far longer than just two years to reach the highest rank in the army. Hmph. _Arrogant fils de pute_.' He smirked at his own comment and then went back to examining the scene a bit closer.

Reaver sneered at the way the boy seemed to circle around the Princess, it looked like he would dive in and chew her down to the marrow. He looked at her as if she was food. Well…he himself did that quite often, as she would describe it. But the Princess was his little toy, not that _marionnettes armée_ toy. He began to play around with his Dragonstomper .48, itching to shoot the boy multiply times…even after his death. He narrowed his smoldering eyes at he boy and kept his pistol cocked.

**~OOO~**

Nightingale's mouth seemed to have dropped, her body all of a sudden felt like gelatin or pudding. She feared that in any second, she would tumble down and not be able to get back up again. Percy began to speak again, "You see. After our little encounter and my…humiliation. I trained and trained until I was left laying on the grass of my backyard…sometimes I would accidentally end up sleeping there, pitiful experience, really. Then, when I thought I was ready enough… I joined the King's army and quickly and impressively worked my up the ranks. The other men were pitiful and weasel like compared to me. So I quickly snagged the prize and here I am, in my shining regalia. Do you know what's on my mind nowadays…?" The Princess looked at him with her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, she opened her mouth and then closed it again. Not knowing what to say. Then his face grew red with anger, "WELL? DO YOU?" She jumped a bit and stared down at the ground, swallowing the knot in the back of her throat.

Percy glared at the cowering Princess, she didn't even realize it did she. Nor did she care. He stalked closer to her and then grabbed her extremely tightly by the arm. He heard her sharp intake of breath and shook her until she stared up at his fury filled eyes. "Revenge…vengeance, and death." Then he pushed her arm back sharply, with a disgusted look on his face. She staggered back a few steps but still stood tall. 'The bitch.'

Nightingale felt cold beads of sweat appear on her forehead, they trickled down her chin and she casted her eyes up at him again when she knew she had regained her broken posture. "Why do you have my friend's mother?" Percy began to laugh again, it made her blood boil. She wanted to push him off a building. "I still can't believe you haven't noticed! You are as stupid as I thought you were! Don't you remember the mysterious man who dropped you a letter? Who else did you think it was? It was me, I bought her mother from the original owner. I killed him right on the scene too. The filthy bug was starting to make my eye twitch so I did away with him." Nightingale stared at him with a dumbstruck look…she was just too shocked to speak the knot grew tighter and tighter. She was practically suffocating on her own breath. "You disgusting cretin!" She yelled out at him, her blood was really boiling now.

Percy smirked at her pathetic comment, he drew his long and sharp sword. Oh, he would love to plunge this into her dear chest…she would probably look just as beautiful with all that pain on her face. He started towards her, circling her. Nightingale gripped the handle of her hammer tighter and firmly grasped her Bonesmasher. She too, began to circle around with him…it was like a dance, they both waited to see who would strike first. Then he slashed forward, she brought up her hammer and blocked his blow, he pushed down on her. 'Damn. He's strong'. She winced at the pain that her right leg was giving her and with a surge of strength pushed the leech back. He wasn't done though, he lashed and lashed at her again, she took last minute ducks and dodges. Then she ducked once more and roundhouse kicked him, it sent him staggering back a bit. She swung her arm and smirked as the hammer went straight for his bubble head.

Percy glared at the Princess and wiped away the blood that trickled down his lips, then he watched the biggest hammer he had seen make it's way to his head. He chuckled and then kicked his leg up, blocking the attack and kicking the hammer out of her grasp…it skittered away from her and she rolled out of the way from his sword. Nightingale took a sharp breath of air and cursed quietly as her weapon was kicked out of her hand. She pulled her pistol up when she had the chance and quickly shot him twice in one shoulder. He jerked back twice, his teeth were bared and bloody. He growled and then quickly swiped his sword at her, catching her on the arm and then the stomach. Her screams were delicious, he loved the way she landed, a messy heap on the floor. Trying to drag herself away, he saw her energy begin to deteriorate. Aw..dear, she was getting tired.

Lizzie put her hands up to her mouth and tried not to scream out, tears were pouring down her face, she couldn't help it. "NIGHT!" The Princess gave her a droopy eyed look, the blood was seeping out of her fast and pooling around her, she was dragging herself towards her abandoned pistol. Soon, her sobbing began, the guard gave her a sneer and then grabbed the mother. Lizzie stared up at the man with shock all over his face. The sword was going to go up to her throat but she began to pull her mother back. "Let go of her, let go you fiend!" The man like go with a grizzly laugh and then slapped Lizzie's face and forcing her and her mother to watch the dreadful and messy scene ahead of them.

Nightingale panted, the blood on her hands was slippery and she seemed like she was making no progress as she dragged her way to her pistol. Footsteps were coming behind her, then she looked up to see Percy's sneering face. He stomped down on her hand, the cracking noise filling the air. She let out a blood curdling scream, tears beginning to come down her face. His hand caught her on the face and she fell backwards. The world around her grew blurry, the ceiling was caving in and everything was spinning. Percy pulled her up with an iron grip of her hair. She screamed out again at his touch, he rested his face against her neck and began to whisper the worst part in her ear.

"You know what the greatest day of my life as Captain was? The day when I was ordered to execute a boy by any means possible. He made my blood boil. I'm sure you've met him, he was quite close to you." Nightingale's face distorted with pain, her hands her limp against her body and Percy's grip on her hair was making her head hurt. 'W-who..it..?' She felt so disoriented…she couldn't think properly. Then he rested his lips on the shell of her ear and whispered with a laugh on his dreadful voice, "Elliot. The best part was when I shot him multiple times…I loved it when his blood trickled down the platform. His mother was crying and tearing her way to her son, but she was eventually dragged away, poor woman."

Her eyes shut tightly and she began to sob strongly, she wailed. 'He killed my Elliot….he killed him..he…'

Percy flung her away from him, her body laid limp on the ground, then she began to curl up into a ball, wailing once more. The blood and tears mixed together with her skin and hair…she looked truly miserable but he enjoyed this moment. It was the greatest time ever.

**~OOO~**

Reaver's blood boiled and it seemed as though his eyes had blackened with hate. He gritted his teeth and watched the Princess scream and scream. Now she laid in a bloody heap on the floor crying for her lost lover. He wanted to kill the boy and wipe his blood on the walls. He cocked the pistol now, stood up and headed towards the distracted boy who enjoyed the his Princess's screams and wails of agony.

Reaver's eyes twitched for a second when he saw that the Princess had began to drag herself the opposite way…towards the boy. 'Idiot Princess!' He stopped midway.

**~OOO~**

Nightingale felt some sort of energy begin to take her over..the Will power in her body was being to surge through her body, she panted and sobbed as she dragged herself the opposite way, towards Percy. She felt as if she was going to burst open with the energy, it was beginning to cause soreness and pain into her body. She felt the cuts and slices on her body beginning to bleed again from her over exertion. All the while hearing Lizzie call out Nightingale's name over and over again. Gripping her mother for support.

Nightingale felt the gauntlet on her right hand spark and flick specks of heat here and there. She gripped onto Percy's legs and coughed a wet one. Percy sneered down at the Princess and then smirked, "Now you come to come? It's not to late..how-" Suddenly Nightingale began to scream as the the pressure and power that was building up in her released it's self. The fire billowed out sharply, at least 4 ft high. The guards that were near Percy and Lizzie began to burn and tumble around, screaming in agony. Percy began to yell as he felt the fires lapping at his tall legs. He looked down at the weakly smirking Princess and slashed his sword across her left leg. She screamed one last time and felt him kick her away from him. She tumbled until she painfully stopped. Then she was facing the ceiling…it began to cave on her again. She felt like everything was slow and blurred, the screams were ringing in her ears and she felt as though she was blinking slowly. The tears slide down her face and she turned her head towards a new approaching figure that had an angry sneer across his face…her eyes drooped for a second. "Reaver…" she whispered out.

Reaver cocked his gun and looked around disgusted at the now burnt guards, 'My. The Princess is much more powerful than I thought. But she is still my toy.' He felt a frown on his face and stared at Percy who was kneeling down, pain twisted his face as he tried to douse off the last remains of fire on his legs…staring at the Princess the whole time. Reaver smirked and walked up to him. The boy looked down at his black calf boots and then slowly stared up at the towering dangerously beautiful figure. Reaver rested the Dragonstomper .48 against Percy's forehead and then smirked which only a second later turned into a twisted snarl. "_Adieu_, you _morceau sans valeur de merde_." And then he shot the boy. Smirking as the figure opened his mouth to scream but nothing came out. He fell back into his own dirty pool of black blood. He looked up at Lizzie as she helped her mother up and began limping towards Nightingale who was on the ground staring at Reaver from where she was.

Lizzie wiped away the tears but they kept coming back, she couldn't keep watching the strangled Nightingale try to stutter out her name. She painfully kneeled down next to her and held her not broken hand. "Sh.. I'll go get Ben and Walter." Right on cue both men came running in. Ben's face was full of disgust and anger as he stared at Nightingale's bloody figure and Walter…Walter's face was broken. He had tears sliding down his face. Ben walked over to Reaver and regarded him lightly, slightly nodding his head. Reaver returned the favor. Ben stared down at Percy and spit on him, "It's what you get for doing that to Night. You piece of trash!" He ran over to Lizzie and hugged her tightly, she was lipping and caked blood was everywhere over her. Walter bent down near Nightingale and winced whenever she tried to speak. "No.."

Nightingale struggled to speak but all that came out were slight whispering groans or moans. She tried to reach up to touch Walter's face but her body was in searing pain. She closed her eyes and then opened them again when she saw Reaver tower over her and then kneel down. She slowly blinked and then painfully held out her in tact hand, "R-eav..eaver.." He gently held her hand and put on his signature smirk, trying not to show any signs of anger or hate. He hushed her and then shook his head, "_Ma belle_." He stared at her closing eyes, she had fallen unconscious. Then as gently as he could, he picked her up bridal style and turned towards the other standing figures. "Go back. I shall take care of the Princess, expect to see her after she recuperates."

Walter tried to argue but Lizzie grabbed his arm and shook her head, "It's alright. We have to go, I promise she'll be as good as new." Ben still holding Lizzie and her mother glared at Reaver and spoke through his teeth, "She better be or I'll be bringing home someone's head." Then he bit his lip and stared down at the ground. Lizzie touched his face and then looked at her mother, she was filled with sorrow. Walter began to lead the party out.

Reaver watched them leave and then looked down at the Princess's bloody body. He took a sharp breath and then smirked, 'She'll be sick and tired of me by the time she recovers.' Then he held her a bit closer, he was glad she was knocked out, she wouldn't have to see his expression. He began to walk back to his carriage that would take him back to his mansion in the Millfields.


	11. Chapter 11

**Nightingale**

**Chapter 11: Recovery**

**"It was dark and I was over**

**Until you kissed my lips and you saved me."**

**-Adele**

**~OOO~**

She knew she was falling in and out of consciousness. She hated it. Nightingale hated that feeling, she felt weak…she could feel herself struggle with her own mind. Her eyes would open and then close, she could see blurs and she could see sharpness. Her breathing was slow but soft, a simple fall and rise of her chest. Nightingale struggled and opened her eyes again, and this time…the pain hit her hard. She winced as she felt the soreness and the gashes on her body. Her head hurt badly…right. Percy had pulled at her head most viciously…she didn't land on the ground quite protectively either. Nightingale closed her blurred vision again but only opened them once more, everything was in sharp focus again. The slight tumble and bump of the carriage was sort of soothing to her, what she found more shocking was that she was laid on Reaver's lap, he was staring stone hard at the scenery outside…occasionally playing gently with her hair. It was soothing…but, why was he doing this? He wanted something out of it…he was trying to trap her in a corner, wasn't he? Nightingale winced and a strange hissing noise came out from her slightly parted lips, her broken hand didn't quite like the feeling of an extremely bumpy road. Her gray orbs felt the needle like tears prickling at her eyes as she watched Reaver snap his head down at her, pulling on his signature smirk. It felt as though it was strained this time.

Reaver looked down at the Princess. Her gray eyes wide open and staring up at him, that bump probably didn't feel good. He frowned a bit and rapped his cane against the carriage floor. "A little slower, _paysanne_. Or by god, I will have your head on a plaque." The carriage driver seemed to have sort of squeaked for he slowed down a bit, it would take some time until they reached the Millfields, but at least it'll be a more comforting ride. Then he smirked down at the Princess, she seemed to have been glaring at him. Her voice was strained…it was painful for her to talk but she did it either way. "Th…That's no way t-to talk to your servants." Reaver chuckled silently and rested his fingertips on her lips and slightly shook his head, "Ah.._petit oiseau_. That's not for you to worry about. Now…" he started to gently caress the side of her still soft face…there was a cut on her forehead and her lip was bruised, she was lucky though. Her body had taken the battering and not her lovely face…it would've been a disappointment.

Nightingale stared up at him with awe, her eyes were tranced as she stared at his now smoldering eyes. They seemed to glimmer from the moonlight, it made it easier for her to see the flicks of color in his dark brown eyes. Her breathing relaxed a bit and she continued to stare at him, waited for him to continue. She was like a…bird that listened to whispers of sweet nothings…and he was like a snake. Easily luring her into his trap with those eyes of his. "Go to sleep, _ma belle_. It'll only be a while. Go to _sleep_." He whispered this to her, she felt her eyes drooping. Nightingale was trying to fight it, to fight the dark abyss that threatened to over take her and swallow her whole. She was scared to see the nothingness her mind had been showing her, she didn't want to feel the pain or the burning…but she couldn't help it. His words were like a sleeping poison, they would shut her down one way or another. Her breathing slowed down to a relaxing pace and her eyes finally closed after a few seconds of useless struggling. Soon she was in a deep sleep, though this time she did not see darkness. Nightingale saw her mother.

**~OOO~**

_Sparrow pulled the blanket covers up to Nightingale's nose and tucked her in tight. She knew from the look on the little Princess's face, that she was ready for a story. Sparrow tapped her finger against her thigh, trying to think up a sensible story to tell the young girl. Nightingale blinked her big gray eyes up at her mother. "Mama…are you trying to think of a story?" Sparrow looked down at her daughter's face and giggled, it was like she already knew. She gently began to pull back stray strands of Nightingale's inky black hair. Then Sparrow's mind clicked and she felt the corners of her bow shaped lips pull up into a sweet smile. Sparrow leaned down to look at Nightingale with excitement, "Why don't I tell you…about how your Father and I met?" Sparrow tickled her now excited daughter a bit. Nightingale's sweet giggling filled her bed chambers and she sat straight up, putting a small delicate hand on her mother's face. "That would be great, Mama! Tell me, tell me!" Sparrow smiled and then laid down on the bed next to her, "Alright then."_

_"Well. When I first met him, I had been young. It had been ten years since I was a little girl, a good friend of mine saved me when I was on the brink of death. Your aunt…her inhabitants are unknown, but she is alive."_

_Nightingale continued to stare at her Mother who was taking a slight breather, she was the Hero Queen. The woman who had saved the remaining people who had been alive from Lucien's grasps. One night, her Mother had explained how she became Queen and how she was faced with three choices in the Spire. To revive her family and friends. To sacrifice her needs and save the people that were dead from the making of the Spire, or to lavish herself with riches beyond compare. Sparrow recalled how she ended up crying in front of her partners, the other Heros that helped her along the journey to stop Lucien and to avenge her sister. In the end though, she ended up choosing to save her family and friends. Her sister had been revived…she had received a letter confirming it. Nightingale's father, Stephen, was revived also. Sparrow's faithful companion was brought back to her side once more. After all the non ending twists and turns, Sparrow had received the crown and was officially Queen of Albion…soon giving birth to a healthy baby boy, and a year later…a beautiful baby girl._

_"I was finally old enough to find the truth that laid deep in me…the Hero lineage coursed through my veins and I was sent on a reckless mission to awaken my long dormant powers. Later, I saved the people of Bowerstone from the ruthless bandit leader, Thag!" _

_She curled her fingers like claws at Nightingale and used a funny rumbly voice. All while tickling her and keeping her close by her side. _

**"**_Then my course was set on Bowerstone Market. There…I met your Father there. He was quite strapping, still is now but the budding of first love really exaggerated everything. I was walking through Bowerstone Market, taking my time all the while listening to a bard sing of my recent adventure. He called me the Hero of Bowerstone…that time, I had felt so much pride it was a moment of rejoice. I stopped dead in my tracks to see the most beautiful young man ever…his hair was in a shaggy boy cut that slightly shaded his golden eyes and he was of medium build…tall and proud. His tan skin glistened in the sun and his laughter had rung throughout my ears. He was talking to a sheriff. Your Father was the Captain of the Guard of Bowerstone, he had been passing by and stopped by for a few days. I was completely and utterly mesmerized."_

_Sparrow looked down at her daughter to find her grinning like a fool, the pink blush dusting her pale cheeks. Sparrow giggled a bit and then turned her body to face Nightingale. "Mama…did Father know that you were looking at him like that? I would have taken one look and started laughing." Sparrow's laughter bounced off the walls, she gently pinched Nightingale's nose and shook her head, "Yes. I was getting to that."_

_"For some reason, I had walked up to a stall of produce and bought myself some celery. The whole time, my eyes did not leave Stephen and I had just taken the celery and stuck it in my mouth. For some odd reason, I just couldn't chew it, so it just laid limp in my mouth, one of the ends was sticking out, making me look like a fool. Stephen must have sensed…something. For he looked up to find me gawking at him with a piece of dangling celery in my mouth. The look on his face was of amusement…soon he burst out laughing, but what made me happy was that his eyes never left mine. Quickly I looked away and finally began chewing on the celery. I tried not to blush as I walked past him towards the blacksmith, for some reason, I knew his eyes were trailing after me. Luckily, I had enough money to buy myself a steel cleaver and a flintlock pistol. I was feeling weary with joy and I was about to drop the last coin into the blacksmith's hand when it jumped out of mine and began to roll away. Desperately I chased after it only to find it being stopped by a certain pair of boots. I looked up and my heart had literally skipped a couple of beats…it was Stephen. He had a smoldering grin on his face and he leaned down to pick it up. He walked up to the blacksmith and I followed after him like a bumbling idiot."_

_Nightingale squealed with joy and hugged her Mother. "Oh, Mama! You must have looked like a fool. It's so romantic though!" Sparrow laughed alongside her daughter and then began to whisper softly._

_"After my new weapons were properly paid with I swallowed that thick knot in my throat and smiled up at your Father. It was like my voice was squeaking, "T-thank you." I said. Stephen chuckled down at me and rubbed the back of his neck, "It wasn't a problem. Say…aren't you the girl that cleared up the path to Bowerstone Market?" I was surprised that he had heard it, but then again, a lot of people had been coming up to me and thanking me, I felt like his words meant more to me though. "Yes, I was. I'm glad to be of service, that man was a thorn to everyone's side though." Stephen had smiled and then his face grew a bit red, "D-do you want to have a drink with me?" I was shocked to hear that tumble out of his lips, it seemed too good to be true. All I could do was gawk up at him and nod with a goofy shake of my head. We talked for hours at the bar, me sipping on my water and him swishing a mug of wine around. I found out things about him that I thought were amazing, he had saved a family from a fire. Killed wanted bandits, dispersed trolls and freed slaves many times. There wasn't much to tell from my side, but I told him my story. "Th-that's awful. I'm sorry." I looked up at him with a weary smile and shook my head, "Don't be, it's alright." He looked at me with a serious look and then grabbed my hand. The blush creeping up to my face again. "Can you promise me that you'll meet me here again?" I couldn't say no, I just couldn't. So I said yes. He had given me a ring and I wore it faithfully…I lived up to the truth and found different ways to speak to him and see him on my travels. One day…we had gotten married, it was when I had defeated the Crucible and came out victorious, I had seen him in the stands next to Hammer, they were both cheering me on. Giving me the hope and strength. Just before I left to the Spire…we had gotten married and made love. The careful kind of course…we both knew that it would be a burden to me if I were to carry a child in my abdomen while in the Spire. I promised him that I would come back to him…no matter how long it would take I would come back to him. And with a kiss goodbye, I left for the Spire."_

_Sparrow looked down at the wide eyes of her daughter…she was struggling to keep her eyes open. It was about time that she got to sleep, then Nightingale gently grabbed her mother's left hand and stared at the ring that rested on her marital finger, her smile widened and she felt her eyes close. A whisper escaped her lips, "I soon want to be in love like that….I want…to.." Then she had fallen into complete sleep. Sparrow smiled down at her loving daughter and swept the girl's hair gently back. She sat up only to feel a certain pair of strong arms wrap themselves around her slender waist. She giggled lightly and turned her head to find Stephen kiss her cheek. "Sh..what if she's still awake. Not in front of her, silly." She giggled again and felt Stephen carry her out of the room to their bed chamber. Nightingale peeked a glance at them and then smiled brightly before actually going back to sleep._

**~OOO~**

Nightingale stirred, furrowing her eyebrows and scrunching her face at the sudden burning intensity coursing through her bloody body. She felt herself grip at the hospital sheets and tug on them, her knuckles whitening even more than they would normally be. Sweat sheeted her body and she began to moan and groan as the pain began to incorporate itself with the burning intensity. Her eyes snapped open at the sudden pain and she screamed out in agony, trying to move her arms and legs away from the nurse and her assistants. They struggled to keep her arms and legs pinned. Tears began to poor out of her closed shut eyes, she opened them once more. The nurse was looking over her body, trying to examine it as quickly as possible. "The painkillers and herbs are working, but she's in a lot of pain. They need to start kicking in, we can't give her a bigger dose. She's going to need to be disinfected and then stitched up, that's our best bet. C-continue to hold her down." The moaning of the Princess was starting to get to her, she didn't like seeing people in this much pain period.

Reaver shut his eyes in irritation at the Princess's screams that he could hear from the other corridor. The book in his lap was starting feel useless for he couldn't concentrate on it, only the yelling of the Princess rang throughout his ears. He snapped his book shut and rubbed his temples. "Honestly, I'm going to have to end her misery if she continues to yell like that." He threw the book down on the arm chair he was sitting at and began to make his way towards the infirmary that was conveniently built in his home. He walked in to find the nurse and her assistants disinfecting the Princess rigorously, they were trying mighty hard to keep her arms and legs down, he smirked at their failing attempts and then walked over to a few assistants, waving them off. He grabbed the Princess's shoulders and quickly pinned them down without a fight, the assistants looked at him with awe and then quickly began to swab at her face and arms, when that was done they moved on to her legs and soon each was given some thread and a needle.

Nightingale opened her eyes at the sudden jolt of being pinned down, what did they do? Throw a boulder down on her? Past her wet and blurry vision, she could see a pair of brown color flecked eyes boring down at her. He wasn't smirking, the look on his face was of irritation at her useless struggling. She could feel the rapid rise and fall of her chest, her back arched as she continued to struggle. Reaver tutted and then leaned in close to her now clean face, "If you keep struggling like that, they won't be able to make the pain go away…I really do wonder how you would do in bed with this persistent jerking." Then he sarcastically raised an eyebrow and flashed a pearly smile at her. Tears began to prickle at her eyes again as she felt the needles entering and exiting her skin…stitching them together. The tugging feeling was bothering her and she hated the extreme pinching the needle was doing. Suddenly, her vision was blurring again and she felt her body grow heavy. Her eyes were drooping and the pain was dulling away, leaving a tingling sensation coursing throughout her body. Finally, she began to relax, her back stopped arching and her legs flattened out, there was no more strength in her body and she was giving away to the herbal medicine that threatened to take her over.

Reaver cocked his head curiously to the side at the drowsy Princess, she instantly stopped her dire struggling and just stared up at him with those enigma like gray eyes. He pulled away from her and then began to walk away but not before feeling a hand trying to tug him back. He turned his head to see the Princess grip his hand weakly, she wearily smiled and then her lips parted. He loomed over her and watched her continuously try to whisper something out, "P…P-please, don't le-leave." He chuckled quietly and then rested his fingertips above her eyelids, he slid his hand down her face and she obediently closed her eyes, finally stopping her persistent struggling. The Princess was strong…she was not weak, he would give her that much credit.

**~OOO~**

Reaver toyed with his pistol, glaring at the sleeping Princess who was gracefully placed on his mattress. She was wearing a white long sleeved puffy night dress that reached to the bottom of her ankles, her delicate hands were placed on her abdomen. Her dress was fanned out, gracing her features even more and her hair framed around her pale face and pink cheeks. The nurse had just re-bandaged her last night, making sure that the anti scarring cream was working it's magic as well as fixing up her gashes. They had carefully taken out the stitches from her sleeping figure while they were at it too. Three nights…it had been three nights already and he was growing impatient and a tad bit annoyed, it was like he was running a funeral procession for the Princess who was actually deep asleep. Reaver had been merciful with her, he didn't snatch her up and take her virginity that one night and just three days ago, he actually cared enough to follow after the fool. He stealthily stood up and cocked his Dragonstomper .48, then he walked up to her bed side and rested the pistol against her collar bone…she was side tracking him. Her being was straying him from his path…it was irritating, he had to exterminate it. He remembered just about a month ago when he had first caught her eye, her fire filled eyes had stared up at him for killing the man who decided to protest against him. Her nature bothered him…deeply, it reminded him. No, no.

Reaver stared down at her stone faced and then heard the click of his gun. The door to his room opened and apparently a maid had stepped in with a cup of tea for Reaver. He had the need to shake his head, and then he smirked and cocked his head to the side while watching the Princess sleep. 'Who would entertain me? Tell me stories and battle over Industrial against me? Maybe I should keep her alive for…a little while longer. Then we shall see.' He grimaced and then without looking, turned his arm the other way and pressed the trigger to his pistol. His wrist barely jerked but the sound of the bullet shattering the tea cup echoed throughout his bed chambers. The maid jumped with a yelp and then immediately began to pick up the shattered porcelain particles. He turned to face her and then sneered, holding up his pistol and aiming at her. "You clumsy _putain_." A wolfish smirk finally graced his features as the maid began to beg and plead, he wasn't exactly in the brightest of moods…nor was he feeling merciful. Then there was the noise of the bed creak.

Nightingale slowly opened her eyes to see a maid cowering, soaked to the bone with tea all over her, she could see the beads of blood forming on a fingertip as she had attempted to clean up the shattered tea set. Reaver was cocking his Dragonstomper .48 at her, not even thinking twice…she glowered at him, for some reason, she knew that the man had to be smirking at the scene. Death seemed to be a joke to the man, then again, he was Reaver. The man hadn't aged for what seemed like eternity…sometimes she would hear grandfathers telling their grandchildren about the times when they had worked for Reaver and how he hadn't aged one bit. It seemed awkward that not many people questioned the enigma of a man, she sat up quickly. The slight soreness was all that was left, she didn't even feel the bandages on her, then she quickly reached her arm over and rested her palm over the long pistol. "Stop messing with her, Reaver." He seemed to have cackled out loud for she pulled her hand closer to her and watched as the grateful maid finished cleaning the mess and had ran off, he turned around to smirk at her, putting the pistol back to it's strap.

Reaver sighed a bit in annoyance and disappointment, here he was going to have some entertainment and the Princess had stopped her. It seemed as though she would pop up at the times he least wanted her to. He watched her fan the dress around her and then hug her knees to her chest…as if to do it protectively. Then she cocked her head to the side with an expressionless look, as if it almost pained her to say it…nonetheless, it spilled out of her either way. "Thank you." Reaver sat down on the bed and then laid back lazily, feeling the bed flop around under his weight. "It was a pain my darling. That bloody mess you made ruined a quite expensive outfit, but nonetheless anything for my dear little bird." Nightingale dramatically rolled her eyes, hoping that he saw what she felt about his stupid comment. Then he smirked mischievously and turned his head towards her, boring holes into her very frame. "But…you _owe_ me."

Nightingale stared at him in confusion, raising an eyebrow for emphasis, "How much money do you want?" Then she sighed and got up off of the bed, she began to unwrap the bandages that hugged themselves to her arms and legs. It was like she was a long dead mummy…brought back to life and given another chance. She looked down at her pale arms and moved them around in amusement. Nothing was left, it was as if she wasn't even near the brink of death. The only evidence that might say she was hurt were the barely noticeable glittering streaks that graced her once scars…she smiled a bit. 'I should thank the nurse gratefully…she had done a great job.' The same thing with her legs…nothing. She picked up her used bandages and turned around a bit shocked to find a maid with open arms, she didn't protest but handed her the used bandages anyway. Then Nightingale turned towards an open window…it was dark outside, had she been here long? She froze up when she felt a figure slightly leaning against her, his head rested on her shoulder.

Reaver knew she was uncertain, the way she suddenly froze up when he leaned his body against her casually. Then he cackled a bit, "Oh..you silly minx. Money isn't what I _want_." Then she seemed to have flinched, finally understanding the meaning behind his devilish words. Nightingale nervously giggled a bit, then she rapidly slid away from his body and began stepping away from him, she stood on the opposite side of the bed he was standing on. "N-now…I-I really think you could you know, um, er, use the money. You need the money!" She began to shuffle a bit and he smirked wolfishly at her, mirroring her moves. This little game seemed to be getting more exciting…what was even better was that he never lost. She had no where to run and he knew that. He cocked his head to the side and leaned his arms on his bed, "But my dear, I make thousands of gold everyday…it would indeed be nice to have more…but a life of coins gets boring from time to time. I have something else in mind, something f_un_." Nightingale had eyed him wearily and then booked for the door, she turned the knob only to have her hopes crushed…it was locked. Then she turned towards him to find him chuckling and dangling the key that he slid back into his pocket. He made his way towards her.

Nightingale seemed to have pressed herself against the door for support. Why was she so frightened of him? There really wasn't anything that frightening was there, other than the fact that he can kill anyone he wanted under a few seconds. There was something else in the pit of her stomach…she suddenly began to notice how fun it had been when she was always around him, the feeling of danger that emitted from him made her heart skip several beats. She didn't feel that strange lustrous feeling around Elliot when he was around. She felt Love when she was with him, and Compassion. Many times during the night, Elliot would sneak up to her bedroom and they would whisper and talk to each other all night, occasionally holding each other close. Nightingale felt something different when she was around Reaver, why was it stirring up now? What does this feeling mean, it was bothering her. He finally trapped her within his space, one of his long arms rested on the wall next to her head. She looked down when she felt the heat bloom across her cheeks. His fingers delicately lifted her chin up, forcing her to look upon those eyes that would threaten to drown her…never letting her escape. He began to gently caress the side of her face. He was smirking down at her, she felt so puny and tiny…and then he leaned in. His lips glided along her left cheekbone until they finally brushed her lips. He finally kissed her. Nightingale closed her eyes, there seemed to have been hundreds and thousands of fire works exploding inside of her, then he was kissing her more intensely. She was giving away to his unfair lust, why was she letting him do this? It was like she could feel his smirk while he kissed her.

Reaver was indeed smirking while he ravenously kissed the Princess. He always knew she was naughty, her arms wrapped around his sturdy shoulders and she gently began to play with his hair. Her breathing had become labored and she occasionally whispered his name. He gently growled and immediately his lips began to glide up and down her porcelain neck. She gasped silently and turned her head away, closing her eyes only to feel Reaver's hand jerk her head towards his once more. He pulled away from her, leaning his head against her forehead and smirking down at her gasping figure. Her eyes were closed and her chest heavily rose and fell. "Oh, _ma belle_. I knew you were a _sly_ little minx." Nightingale finally opened her powerful gray eyes and raised an eyebrow, trying to pull away from him. He gripped her wrists tightly and she looked up at him once more, "Ah..but my dear, we aren't finished. I find myself completely unsatisfied." She just stared up at him all wide eyed. Then he leaned down and tenderly kissed her collar bone before wrapping his arms around her waist. Attempting to undo the lace that held her night gown up together. "Monster." She only whined out before wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

Nightingale knew he was a monster. Yet she couldn't pull away from him, this excitement. She never felt it before and it just felt wonderful and dangerous all at once…it stirred her soul. The lace loosened and the dress began to slide off of her glassy shoulders, he was kissing the back of her neck. She sighed heavily and then whispered in his ear, "I am not one of your toys, Reaver. I hope you get that through your head, by all means…I will if you don't." He chuckled darkly and then picked her up, leading her to his welcoming bed, "Hush-hush, little bird."

**~OOO~**

Nightingale awoke upon the first bright rays of light that beamed on her figure. She stirred a bit and then winced…she was sore, her body was sore and her legs were sore. Right. She couldn't proudly call herself a virgin anymore..could she? Then she quickly sat up, holding the blanket up to her naked body…she felt icky and slightly slick with sweat. Reaver unwrapped his arm from her waist and turned over to the side, mumbling something unintelligent most likely. "I-I'm not a virgin…" she whispered it quietly, she put a hand up to her head and then pulled her hair away from her face. A dumbstruck feeling prickled at her very frame. She stealthily got up and grabbed her nightgown that was on the other side of the room, then she quickly hurried to the bathroom and cleaned herself off quietly before locating her weapons and making a bee line for the main door. A maid walked up to her swiftly and nodded her head, Nightingale opened the door and began running towards the nearest carriage that could offer her a quick trip to the Resistance headquarters.

**~OOO~**

Everyone literally bulldozed her down upon seeing her. Walter had literally hugged her so tightly that she was at least a feet or two off ground. Nightingale laughed a bit, trying to get the previous night's event out of her head, "W-walter…breath. I need to breath!" He rumbled with laughter, slightly tearing up. "It's just…it's just a miracle. You look like new. It's as if nothing happened to you. I'm just glad to see that your ok. I'm just glad." Nightingale tenderly looked up at him and then gently patted his face, reassuring him. Ben walked up to her with Lizzie alongside him, he tenderly hugged her, "It's good to see you're alright, mate." Then her eyes shifted towards Lizzie, she had tears down her face and then all of a sudden she ran into Nightingale, hugging her tightly. Sobbing softly. "Thank you. Thank you so much! God bless you. A-and..I'm so sorry." Nightingale smiled and looked up at Lizzie, she was at least a head taller than her, she wiped away a few tears and then hugged her again, "Lizzie, nothing was your fault. I'm just glad to see that you're reunited with your mother. It's ok..it's ok." She took one look at her and winced, Lizzie's legs were poorly bandage wrapped and there was a bandage pad on her cheek. She smiled and then pulled a jar of the scar disappearing cream that that maid who ran up to her gave. "This is what made my scars go away..look." She pointed at her arms…they glittered slightly when light shone on them. "All that's left is a little sparkling line." Lizzie smiled once more and then looked down. Ben interrupted Nightingale, staring seriously at her. "He didn't do anything…did he?" Nightingale snapped her head up, the little amount of color that she had draining from her face, she felt like she was just slapped in the face…because **HE** wasn't the only one who did something…they both did. And she had fallen into **his** grasp. Nightingale quickly composed herself and shook her head, "Nothing. It's alright. I'm just glad to be back for more than a minute." Laughter rumbled throughout the Planning room, Page gave her a reassuring nod and then turned back towards the map table. Nightingale smiled, it was as if she finally convinced Page that she was worth the fight.

Nightingale gently grabbed Lizzie's hand and then pulled her along towards a non crowded area and sat down on a box of crates next to her best friend. She began to undo her bandages and started applying the cream, she knew that once she rubbed it in enough and once the color of the cream disappeared..that it was working. Lizzie stared up at Nightingale's slightly strained face, she looked like she had something she wanted to say. It was almost 12:00 pm, once it hit that time, it would officially be maybe more than a month in Industrial. A month since Nightingale arrived and witnessed unrealistic monstrosities. A month of constant Reaver…and last night, was probably the biggest mistake of her life. "Night. Is something wrong?" When Nightingale finished wrapping fresh bandages on Lizzie's arms and legs and face, she finally looked up. The tears prickling her face. "I fell for him. Lizzie…I fell for him. I lost it. I-" the silent sobbing began, she buried her face in Lizzie's arms shaking her head. Lizzie looked down at her with shock, and then her face softened up again. She would not shun the young Princess for her actions..why would she? The Princess was a very sweet and headstrong girl, something this country needed, and she was not going to shun her for something so trivial. "Hush. Shh…it's ok, Nightingale. It's ok. Tell me what happened. I will help you as much as I can." Nightingale stared up at her friend with a weary smile, "Thank you." Lizzie smiled brightly and held her close, as if she was her mother and not her best friend, she nodded while the young Princess explained of the previous night's event.

**~OOO~**

Nightingale was feeling nauseous and sick, she coughed a few times. Gagging on her own breath. Lizzie stood up straight looking at her slightly, fearing the worst. It had been three weeks, three weeks since the Princess had returned from her recovery and told only Lizzie of her shameful night with Reaver. Lizzie honestly did fear the worst. Page looked up too, wondering why the Princess had been coughing and gagging for the past few days…and all of a sudden too. Lizzie smiled at Page nervously, the three of them had been planning to sneak into Reaver's mansion in hopes of finding their rebel friends that had been sent there for information. It had been a while and the group of rebels had not returned, it was about time that some action needed to be taken. It had been the perfect moment to sneak in too, for Reaver had strange secret society parties held every week…this time, it was a masquerade party. They would sneak in and go out unnoticed. Lizzie touched the Princess's shoulders and looked down at her, then she looked up at Page, "We'll be right back, and then we'll continue."

Nightingale was led by Lizzie quickly to the beginning of the sewers, she one hand to her stomach and the other to her lips. The bile was threatening to pour out. When they knew they would go unheard, Nightingale collapsed on the ground and threw up the early morning's contents. Lizzie held a hand over her mouth, worrying constantly for her best friend, She kneeled down next to Nightingale, tears were coming out of her eyes as she continued to gag and double over. Lizzie raised her eyebrows, 'She's constantly been nauseous, this is the first time she threw up. Hm..this is leading to be a bad situation. Please…don't make her suffer.' Nightingale coughed and sputtered, finally settling down, pulling out a handkerchief and wiping away at her lips. "Night." She had to ask her, this was important, it would determine if that night had effected the Princess truly. "Have you started bleeding yet?"

Nightingale looked up at Lizzie, bewilderment and shock finally flowing through her body. She looked down at the ground and touched her stomach…she hadn't, had she? She would've had it at the beginning of this month. But she…didn't.

"No."

They had both feared the worse…and it came back and bit them.


	12. Chapter 12

**Nightingale**

**Chapter 12: The Masquerade Part 1**

**"Don't worry. Things will get worse." **

**-George Skelton**

**~OOO~**

Nightingale bit her lip, the tears were prickling at her eyes once more. It was her fault. It was all her fault, she started to keen. Her wailing was sharp and almost ear bleeding. Lizzie felt her own eyes water up, she scooted closer to her best friend and wrapped her arms around her in an attempt to let her know that she was there for her. Nightingale shook her head, "It's my fault! I..I..Everything is my fault." She started to pound her fists against her thighs painfully, but she didn't care. She ignored it. Lizzie gasped and let her cry, but she rocked back and forth gently brushing her fingers through Nightingale's hair and hushing her. "No, no. Night, don't ever say that. It wasn'-" Nightingale shot her head up and looked at her with those big and wide tear-filled eyes. "I was so stupid and, and, naive enough to let him…I let him…" She started to suck in sharp and deep breaths…the keening had stopped but she was shuddering against Lizzie's gentle touch.

Lizzie had tears now sliding down her pink cheeks. She bit her lip and hugged her sister like friend closer, "Nightingale. Things happen, sure what happened to you will be life changing. But I suppose it was…meant to happen. I recall you saying that the door was locked. He was being sly…it wasn't your fault, he set it up. You can't say it was your fault when he set it up to happen, can you Night?" Nightingale looked up again and then sat next to Lizzie, her head resting on her shoulder, she was staring down at her long fingers. "That jackass might have locked the door. But I could have stopped him…" then she turned her head to stare her friend in the eyes, "Couldn't I…couldn't I?" Lizzie looked down for a moment and then up back at her friend. Nightingale shook her head, "That man is not human at all. There is no hint of it anywhere…I-I don't think I would have been strong enough to..to hold him back. If I tried to fight him out of it…I might even be dead right now and this Rebellion would be lost forever. I couldn't afford it." Lizzie held her friend's hand and patted it, it felt like venom…trying to slip out of her mouth but she said it either way, "I-I-In a way, you were…kind of…forced." Nightingale cringed slightly upon hearing the sentence but nonetheless she nodded while looking at her friend, "Perhaps." Lizzie then let go of Nightingale's hand and then pressed her fingers to her temple, "But that's strange…" Nightingale whipped her head to look back at her.

"What's strange, Lizzie? Other than the fact that I got together with the most despicable man in Albion?" Lizzie smirked slightly, she turned her head towards Nightingale to see her smiling sadly and watching her toy with her sweat jacket. Lizzie sighed, 'At least she's still making jokes, that means she is feeling a little better.' Nightingale didn't have any other outfit other than her nightgown when she had returned to the Headquarters after 3 days of recovery, three weeks ago. Last month. She had finally gotten her hands on some shorts, ankle high combat boots, and a crop topped spaghetti strapped shirt with a jacket. It was the only thing she could have gotten her hands on without having to buy anything. "No. I mean…never mind that for now. The strange thing is that he didn't use a…y-you know." Nightingale stopped toying with her jacket and the flushing of the cheeks began. She looked back at her and couldn't help but slightly smirk a bit, hey Lizzie was smirking too! "Y-you mean?" Lizzie coughed a bit, trying to hold back her laughter, "Yes, that thing." Nightingale started motioning with her hands, "The thing with the…and that…" Lizzie started to laugh really loudly, slightly leaning on the guffawing Nightingale.

Lizzie slightly smacked Nightingale's arm and they wiped away a few tears of laughter, glad to be rid of the serious and depressing mood that they had previously been in. Nightingale coughed wetly and slightly gagged a bit. Great, what? Now she can't even laugh as hard as she wanted to? Her eyes watered from the slight bile that had threatened to come out yet again, she cleared her throat and smiled at Lizzie who had been gently patting her back while furrowing her eyebrows with deep uneasiness. "Are you alright, Night?" Nightingale cleared her throat a bit more and then nodded her head, "I-I'm fine. I might as well get used to it, cuz it's going to happen many more times in the months to come." Lizzie nodded and then continued on with her awkward subject. "The fact that he didn't use..that…strikes me as very strange. Whoever he would get together with, he would always use it…as to not have any unfortunate events or diseases. You don't think h-he, forgot?" Nightingale's eyes widened and she stared at her friend with realization. "Oh, oh my." Then she sneered with hatred, "That, is something I will find out. Oh, don't you worry." Lizzie's eyes widened and she shook her head, "No! What if he, what if he hurts you?" Nightingale chuckled lightly, "Not to worry, I always spring back." Lizzie patted her shoulder and then helped her up, they had to get back to Page, they had a Masquerade to get ready for.

**~OOO~**

He tilted his head back and squinted his eyes shut as the expensive whiskey poured continuously down his throat…it felt as if the contents were burning the corridors of his throat. He opened his eyes and gasped and then swiped his hair back to it's perfect position. He glared at the fire that was burning in it's fire place, it seemed to billow and bounce about in a dance. He gritted his teeth and threw the whiskey bottle at the flames that laughed at him. The fire exploded and billowed out, licking hungrily at what was thrown at it. Reaver smirked slightly, 'It had to be a stupid mistake…that _nit l'esprit d'une femme de chambre _probably made a mistake.' He tsked and then headed up to his chambers, yelling for that same maid that had brought him the purchase reports for his personal needs earlier. She came bustling in with the papers in her hands. He was lazily laying on his bed and scanning quickly through the papers. Something that he became an expert at through the years of business he had experienced. Reaver sat up quickly and quietly growled. He began shuffling around his room, looking for them. They were all around his chambers, scattered. He looked down at his papers and then threw them into the air…they floated gracefully to the ground. The records didn't lie. He gritted his teeth and rested a hand on his temple, "There's an extra…it's not suppose to be there. Ah, tut, now I have to deal with an annoying rebellious leader." He smirked slightly, but this mistake was not suppose to happen. What if she got unlucky…heck, her unlucky? What about him, he'd..he'd have to deal with a poop making machine. Unless of course…unless it wasn't even born. A dark chuckle escaped his lips.

Reaver looked up at the maid who stood there idly waiting for his orders. He smirked and then leaned casually on his enormous bed, "What?" He barked rather rudely. The maid swiped her head down and then began twisting the hemming of her maid outfit. "W-will that be all, Master?" He wasn't exactly in the mood for her annoying and squeaky voice…not after all he found out about. Reaver's fingers slid down to his gun strap and he pulled out his lovely Dragonstomper .48. It glimmered in the light and the intricate designs swept over his gloveless fingers. "Are the preparations for the party complete?" He said, still staring down at his gun…starting to wave it around with boredom. The maid flustered a bit upon seeing the gun being waved around so freely, and without caution. "Y-yes sir. All that awaits are the guests." Reaver smirked, 'The guests….wonderful.' A moment later, Barry Hatch crawled his way next to the maid. "Ah, Rweaver. Lax as usual." Reaver smirked upon his close servant. The man had been around ever since he was a child, under strange circumstances did they meet. "Hmph. Lax I may appear, but I'm feeling very _agressif et furieux._" His counterpart slightly snorted. "I see, and is it because of **her**..?" Reaver began to glower down at his gun, then he cocked it and sighed, staring down at his perfectly manicured nails. The gunshot rang throughout the room and the squeal of the maid pitched itself in gradually. Bright blood began to pool around her head, slowly making it's way to her lower body, Barry sneered a bit…knowing that he had to clean it up. 'Why couldn't I just keep my damn mouth shut?'

Reaver flopped down on his back and rubbed his temple, whispering slightly, "_stupide princesse_." Then he got back up and began to make his way towards his grand bathroom to prepare for the ball. "Barry!" He barked with a slight chuckle in his voice, "Is the rebel still in the cage?" Barry was still sneering at the dead maid's body…the blood was beginning to reek the place, the smell of iron and rose petals didn't smell too good. It was all dizzying. Barry stared back up at Reaver's profile, his back was to him and he was staring at him from the side of his eyes. "Y-yes. Though he is very much a potty mouth…" Reaver smiled, this is exactly what he wanted. "Good." Before he turned to enter the bathroom he rested his body against the frame, "Oh, and Barry? Clean up that filthy mess." With that said and done he slammed the door shut and allowed the soothing fragrances to envelope him, he needed that crazy rebel Princess out of his mind.

**~OOO~**

Nightingale flustered up a bit, she looked like her royal self in her beautiful ball gown. She stared at the mirror with awe, she missed wearing dresses like this one. It was a black sleeveless ball gown, it had intricate silver crystals that lined the bodice and the waist like a belt. Right at the waist it began to feather out, there were rows upon rows of feathery lace that was scrunched up and it flowed down her frame. In the front, the dress was cropped up to her thighs, it was a good thing she wore some black shorts underneath…just in case there were strange stunts. Then in the back, it reached all the way down to the floor…when she walked, it trailed after her. There was no why in hell she was going to wear any heels, so Nightingale decided to wear ballerina flats. The laces took a while to tie up her calves but she got it done. As for her hair, well, she pulled half of it up and let the other half cascade past her porcelain shoulders and down her back. Nightingale stared down at her stomach through the mirror, she cocked and eyebrow and then turned her body to the side. In just a few months…she knew that she would have a bulge, almost instantly…her hands went to her stomach. Nightingale gasped when Lizzie walked into the room, she put her hands down upon seeing Lizzie smirk a bit.

Lizzie stood next to Nightingale and sighed with frustration, "I can't believe we're doing this." Nightingale silently snorted and shook her head, "Neither can I, but what has to be done…has to be done." Lizzie nodded lazily and then took a good look at Nightingale. 'She looks amazing…I wonder if she even has any idea.' "Look how beautiful you look, Night. You'll definitely be turning some heads…or, well. Heads that are still somber. Tee hee." Nightingale giggled alongside Lizzie and then tutted, turning to look at Lizzie's outfit. "You think I look gorgeous? Take a look at yourself. Ou la la." Nightingale dramatically fanned herself for emphasis. Lizzie was wearing a golden sleeveless short puffy dress. Sequins lined where her breasts were and right at her waist was a ribbon that was to be tied at the back. Then the dress fanned out with a light golden color around her thigh area, boy, she looked more than gorgeous. She looked breathtaking…collapsing. Lizzie had bangs that swept to the side so she used a silver clip to slightly pull them back, the rest of her hair cascaded up to her chest. Nightingale stared down at Lizzie's high heels, they were sequined and golden…she looked even taller than she normally was. Nightingale stared back up at her and smiled, "The dress suits you, it looks amazing with your eyes. Honestly." Lizzie chuckled and then cocked her head to the side, she tsked and then pulled out the hair tie that pulled half of Nightingale's hair up.

Nightingale's curly hair flowed down her back and shoulders like a curtain, she blew a piece of hair out of her face and then furrowed her eyebrows, "What was that for?" Lizzie wrapped the black hair tie around Nightingale's left wrist and shook her head, "Don't put your hair up, it looks so beautiful down. Leave it like it would naturally be." Nightingale smiled and then Lizzie turned around and pointed towards the slack ribbons that had to be tied together. "Could you tie it into a bow, please?" Nightingale nodded and then quickly tightened it and they both faced towards the mirror, looking more than just dazzling. Lizzie looked down at her wrists, she began to play with some bracelets, "Won't it be awkward…?" Nightingale stopped toying with her hair and then looked over at Lizzie, then she sighed and stared at her stomach through the mirror. She put her hands up to her stomach again, "Oh, hell yes, it will be. But we have to push past that and help the rebels who are trapped inside that bastard's mansion. The mansion's probably like a black hole tonight." Lizzie smiled tenderly at Nightingale's motherly gesture.

Lizzie looked down at Nightingale's right ankle when she heard a slight jingle…it was funny that she never noticed it before. It was a black slithery anklet with a bird charm on it. "That anklet, have you always worn it?" She watched Nightingale stare at it with pride and care and sadness. "Yes. It was my mother's…she..she gave it to me before she died. Her last wish was for me to wear the anklet and to become a hero. Well, here I am now." She smiled a bit at Lizzie who stared at her with a weary sad smile. In an attempt to change the depressing subject, she cleared her throat and then cocked her head to the side with a curious look on her face. "Is your mother with Walter? I didn't see her this morning?" Lizzie smiled and then nodded, "Yes. She's helping the people down here settle in comfortably." Just then, there were a series of yelling and a line of curses, soon Ben had slammed open the door. He was holding his hands up to his head, yelling obscenities at Page who was smacking him. "Ack! Ow. Not the face!" Page steamed up again, "Ben! Your not suppose to be in here!" Ben turned his back to Nightingale and Lizzie and pouted at Page. "B-but I wanna GO!" Page stamped her high heeled foot on the ground and crossed her arms across her chest. She took a deep breath and cocked her head to the side, "Ben…we already planned that Nightingale, Lizzie, and I were the ones to infiltrate his mansion. Who's going to help Walter keep order here?" Ben narrowed his bright blue eyes at Page and then turned head on at Lizzie.

Ben helped steady Lizzie, he cursed himself for not watching where he was going, somehow he always ended up getting face to face with Lizzie. He bit his lip and then stared down at her…he regretted not staring at her in the first place when he entered the room. She looked like a fairy…a beautiful siren or, or a mermaid or something that lured people in because of their beauty. Her eyes seemed to have a shining laughter in them and she looked amazing in that golden dress of hers. Her aquamarine eyes stood out the most. What if something were to happen to her at Reaver's mansion? What would he do then? Lizzie was all together a different girl…he didn't feel anything for her just because of her beauty. It was her very _being_ that twisted his soul and confused him into a deep abyss. "I-I'm so sorry. I didn't mean that Lizzie." Her eyes widened a bit when he attempted to talk to her, she laughed a bit and then glanced at Nightingale. Lizzie turned he attention back at Ben and shook her head, "It's alright Ben, I know you didn't mean it." Page walked up to them, together everyone formed a sloppy circle…in her hands, she held their masks. "Ben, I think you should get going." Ben then looked at Page and then frowned, "But, but, who's going to dance with Lizzie?" Behind him giggling from Nightingale and Lizzie erupted, sending echoes throughout the room. Page put a hand up to her temple and she smiled sarcastically, "I'm very sure that a much more decent man will ask to dance with her. Trust me." Ben frowned at her answer and then turned towards Lizzie, he looked down at her long fingers and then suddenly kissed her cheek and booked for the door. "If she's not safely back here tonight, I'll blame you Page!"

Lizzie's eyes widened with happiness, she brushed her fingers against the cheek that Ben had kissed her on. Nightingale poked her and waggled her eyebrows inappropriately. Lizzie's naturally pink cheeks turned pinker and she teasingly jabbed Nightingale in the ribs and hissed at her, "Stop it already." Page cleared her throat and then held out their matching masks, "Alright, I found matching pairs for all of us…it took some time, but I guess I got lucky. And wow…you guys will be standing out…a lot." Page cocked her head to the side and slightly smiled, turning towards the cracked mirror. Page wasn't wearing anything too grand. She was wearing a short ruffly dress with knee high stockings and some heels. The dress was long sleeved and Page wore with it a powdered wig with a tiny bow that matched her dark blue and silver dress, the dress had a low neck and showed a bit of cleavage, but this was a once and a life time chance so, hey, why not? "Come on guys, put on your masks and we'll be off. Can't be too late for the party. Kid's waiting for us." The girls nodded and tended to fixing on their masks. Nightingale's was extraordinary…it was sort of wide and cat eyed, silver sequins lined the eye areas, the nose of the mask wasn't that stretched out but it covered her nose area. On the left side of her mask, black feathers stood up, making the mask more mysterious and beautiful.

Lizzie's mask was mystical and magical…like it was from a whole new realm. The mask was butterfly shaped and the eye holes were wide and big enough for Elizabeth's eyes to shine through them. On the mask, there was glitter and sparkles everywhere…the gold color of the mask went along with her beautiful dress. Page's mask was simple but elegant at the same time, it was wide eyed and intricate swirling designs covered every corner. The mask was a silvery color with a dark blue lining the circumference of the elegant mask. After fixing on their masks, they took one look int he mirror and smiled at each other, Nightingale turned towards Page and Lizzie and took a deep breath. "Alright, we got this. All we have to do is just go in and come back out…quietly. Who's with me?" Lizzie was the first to put her fist over Nightingale's and then Page smiled at the both of them and placed her's on top of Lizzie's, on the count of three they threw their fists up and yelled out: "Resistance!"

**~OOO~**

Nightingale took a deep breath and exited the carriage with the help of the couch driver, she thanked him and then walked up the stairs along side Lizzie and Page. They all stared at the large doors with awe and queasiness, well, the queasiness belonged to Nightingale, everyone was mostly nervous about what they'd find in the hell hole of a mansion. Lizzie gently gripped Nightingale's right hand and they looked at each other, "Don't worry, alright, just act normal and try to stay out of his sight. We all will." Page nodded and then knocked on the door, hoping someone would hear their arrival…she had a bad feeling that they were very late. The door was opened by none other than Barry Hatch. The annoying failed counterpart of Reaver. Nightingale could feel Lizzie tense up next to her, she gently nudged her and then stared straight on at the man. "*Bit late, aren't you? You've missed half the rituals and all the drinking. All we've got left is fizzy pop.*" Barry moved aside to let the ladies walk past him, of course not without taking his time and staring at them up and down. He swiftly got in front of them and led them through the dining area. Nightingale sneered slightly, she wasn't surprised to see the dozens of drunk people slumped in chairs, on each other, as well as in their food. Lizzie sighed, she wasn't surprised either and Page was just pissed at the fact that these people were acting like this when all of Albion was dying off.

Page slightly stirred up a bit, looking at the two other girls for help on what to answer back with. Then she turned her attention back to the back of Barry's head, "Well…ugh, we're sorry. Um. Fashionable late?" There was slight snickering from Nightingale, Page shot her a serious look and then turned back to jump from Barry's sudden laughter. "Aw, well, we don't want you to feel inferior or anything now do we dears? But I must say, all of you look rather sexy. Hm…especially the one in black." Barry side glanced at Nightingale only to find that the youngling was glaring daggers at him. He slightly smirked and then continued nonetheless, "*Master Reaver will be happy to have a few more conscious people around for the final ceremony. And I wasn't kidding about the fizzy pop. These lightweights drink the lot! There's probably some cooking sherry left in the kitchen "if" you're desperate. Nah? Don't blame you. Never touch the stuff myself. Well, except in the mornings. I can sort you out a nice orgy later on, should the mood take you. What do you say?*" Page was growing impatient and disgusted, while Nightingale was having the need to go puke and Lizzie was trying to reassure her and keep her steady. They were nearing the doors to the ballroom, this was it, ahead, they would have to sneak around and look for Kid and any other rebels that were trapped in this godforsaken mansion. "Just shut it, you strange little man."

The three stopped in front of Barry Hatch, they were eager enough to just kick down the door and start searching for their rebel friends. Barry cleared his throat and finally said, "*Now, there are some ground rules. Master Reaver insists that nobody carries weapons into the Ballroom. There have been some accidents.*" They all turned stone like…realizing that he had noticed, well, anyone would. Nightingale stared down at her Hero sword, she trained with it long enough so that it was as strong as her Hero hammer. Luckily, her pistol was sort of hidden on her thigh strap by her dress. Lizzie nervously glanced at Nightingale who had a finger on her Hero sword, she touched her own sword and suddenly felt trapped and cornered, her pistol suddenly felt heavy on her thigh. Page gritted her teeth angrily and spoke through her teeth, cocking her head to the side. Anyone who crossed her path were sure to be sorry. "I'm sorry..we are going to have to _keep_ our weapons. We're looking for a few friends." Barry smirked a bit at the rebels reactions'. He knew this was going just according to Reaver's plans. They were to enter the ballroom, have a little fun, and then be used as wonderful entertainment. He pretended to look shocked and a tad bit sorry, "*Oh! You're the brave, noble rebels! Why didn't you say so? I'm an oppressed Proletarian myself, you know. We're practically comrades.*" Page was seriously going to start blowing a gasket if he didn't start getting his ass in gear.

Barry bowed low and motioned his arms at the doors that he opened, "Alright, now if you'll step this way, you're sure to find your friends. Again, Master Reaver wouldn't mind a few somber lovely ladies. Not at all." Nightingale silently cringed at that sentence but quickly followed after Lizzie and Page. Page began looking around at the not so crowded dance floor. She raised her eyebrows and they tried to look casual. Looking out shyly at the clumsily dancing people. Page smiled, pretending to tell a joke but whispered, "Alright. You guys just act..normal. Look around and see if you can find them. If you get caught up in trouble just….go along with it. We're already standing out…what more could we possibly do to say 'Hey look! We're rebels, kill us?'" They all giggled at Page's joke but split up, Lizzie followed after Nightingale and she let her. After all that happened to Lizzie, she wouldn't want anything dramatic to happen to her, they stayed close to each other. They searched and walked idly looking around for at least an hour. Lizzie stopped Nightingale with a touch on her shoulder, "Night. We still haven't found anyone..what if?" Nightingale turned slowly towards Lizzie and pretended to smile but seriously spoke to her, "No. I'm not going to give up! I have to find them…ther…there is nothing wrong. We just haven't looked hard enough." Suddenly a sharp feeling pinched at her throat and she put a hand over her mouth, gagging slightly. "Oh..shit." Lizzie held her and then gently patted her back, "Oh, Night. Not now, be strong." Nightingale coughed a bit and closed her eyes, then she shook her head and gratefully looked at Lizzie, "I'm fine. Thank you. Come on." Suddenly she felt a hand tugging at her, stopping her from going any further.

Lizzie shifted her aquamarine orbs towards him…oh, not now. Why…? Reaver. Next to him was Barry Hatch. Lizzie took a deep swallow of air and stared down at Reaver's hand that gently clutched Nightingale's, she shifted her eyes towards Barry's. He was staring at her up and down, taking everything in sight…she had the need to pull her dress up. She wasn't showing that much cleavage but it was a strangle prickling feeling. Reaver's voice rang throughout her ears, "Why, my lovely ladies? Why so tense and shy? We noticed you haven't dance with a single person all night." Lizzie looked at Nightingale who had stopped struggling and was staring expressionless at Reaver. Reaver looked somewhat casual despite this being a ball, but he was decked out in black and white. He had a black over coat with a white dress shirt underneath, tucked at his collar was a dazzling cravat. His white pants shone out and his black boots shined from continuous polishing, on top his head was a signature black top hat and in his left hand a cane. Lizzie looked at Nightingale desperately, 'Come on, Night.'

Nightingale stared down at her hand and then smiled at Reaver, dramatically fluttering her thick eye lashes. "Oh. Thank you gentlemen for caring so deeply. We well, we just didn't want to…disturb or interrupt anyone! Everyone seems to be having so much fun!" She gestured at the drunk guests who were singing lullabies, she smiled awkwardly at Lizzie and Lizzie smiled back. 'Right…what a disgusting way to have fun.' Reaver smirked wolfishly and then bowed down to kiss her hand, "May I have this dance, _ma belle_?" Nightingale looked at Lizzie who had already headed off with Barry towards the dance floor, uncomfortably, she could tell by the way she gripped Barry's arm. Nightingale stared up at Reaver and curtsied, "Why of course." Then he held out his hand and she took it, wanting to squeeze it until it broke but took it nonetheless. He pulled her close and rested his hand a little too low against her waist and held her left hand in his. Soon they began to twirl in accurate circles, not too fast and not too slow. Nightingale stared up at his eyes, she could see them staring right at hers, boring holes into her very frame. Even behind that bird like mask of his…his eyes stood out sharply. 'Hopefully he hasn't noticed it's me…he always calls me that…what is it? _Ma belle_? Hopefully he calls every single girl that..yes, hopefully.'

"What is your name, my darling?"

"Bananas…"

Nightingale wanted to face palm herself, did she just say what she thought she said. 'Oh..DAMN IT.' Out of all the random foods that came up in her head nowadays, she had to chose Bananas? Why not Peach or Berry? 'Curse these stupid carvings..curse them to the Void!'

Reaver stared down at her awkwardly, she looked dazed as she said her "name". 'Bananas..what a strange name?' He rumbled with laughter and held her closer, "Why..that's..a lovely name, my dear. So lovely." He smirked when he saw the Princess's face cast a dark glare, it lasted a second..but he saw it. What was even sillier was that he knew she was worried. He even knew that it was the rebel Princess herself. He twirled her around, gently holding her finger, and then suddenly stopped her and dipped her low. Admiring the lovely little amount of cleavage he received, he had the urge to tease her and swipe his hand down her neck but he chose not to. Reaver pulled her up and pulled her closer, she collided with his body with a flustered look. Those gray orbs of hers shifted from his for a second and he knew they were on that former maid's position, she was worried…oh, how sweet. He looked at Barry and then winked, it was his que…the show was just about to begin. Barry nodded and suddenly, the lights turned off, a few screams sounded off and mass confusion swept over everyone.

Nightingale gasped and felt Reaver kiss her hand one last time in the darkness and slip off, she held out her hands and then began to yell out for her comrades, "Lizzie! Page! Where are you?" The lights turned on and blinded her momentarily, she swiped her hands up to her face and then lowered them upon seeing Lizzie on the ground, frowning slightly. She ran over to her and then kneeled down on the ground. Where were all the guests? It was like they disappeared, and what of Reaver and Barry? "Lizzie! Are you alright?" Lizzie frowned a bit and then winced, getting up with Nightingale's help. "Y-yes. I'm fine. B-but..I think he slapped my..bottom." Her cheeks flustered bright pink upon saying it out loud. Nightingale shook her head and then nodded her head, "I promise, once we get out of her and get back to base. I'll make you a Barry Hatch dummy and you can shoot it as many times as you want." Lizzie smirked evilly with content and nodded, "It's a deal. Where's Page?" Reaver chuckled loudly, it roared throughout the ballroom, "Now, now, it's not nice to make fun of my dear friend, now is it?" Nightingale and Lizzie glared up at him. Page was being pushed along, she wretched from the guard's grasp and yelled obscenities. "Let go you, fancy puff ball!" The guard pushed her at Lizzie and Nightingale quite forcefully. Nightingale put a hand on Page's shoulder and stared at her with worry, "Are you alright?" Page nodded and then turned their attention towards Reaver.

Reaver smirked and then leaned down on his cane, his special guests were swarmed around him, eagerly waiting for the night's entertainment. They were not patient folk, no not at all. Page glowered at him, "Where are they you bastard!" Reaver cocked his head to the side and waved his hand in the air, "Who…? Oh! You mean your darling rebels…I believe only one survived. Oh, look, here he is!" Reaver used his cane to point up at a dangling cage which was lifted up into the air. In it Kid struggled and wretched, staring down at the three girls. Page gritted her teeth and shook her head, "Kid. We'll get you out. I promise."

Reaver chuckled, staring down at their pathetic attempts, did they honestly think they would get out of here…if they did…definitely not unscathed. "*My, my, my! More busy little bees here to steal Reaver's honey. So industrious, so committed, so bloody annoying. When will you people learn to enjoy life*?" Nightingale stared up at him with her usual glower when she was around him, he seemed to have noticed her glaring and winked at her. She swore, she just wanted to grab his little head and, ugh! Page growled with annoyance, "Hmph! The only thing I'll enjoy is killing you, does that count?" Reaver chuckled and then tapped his cane on the ground. Suddenly, they noticed something that they hadn't noticed before. Lizzie squinted her eyes at the strange wheel with different picture symbols, "Is that..? I've never seen it before in the past?" Nightingale stared at it too, "It looks like a wheel." Page shook her head and glanced at them, "I-I've got a bad feeling about this."

Reaver smirked, truly unveiling it, "*The Wheel of Misfortune! It's rather simple. I spin, you die, we watch. Really! It's, it's a riot!*"

Nightingale slowly shook her head and cursed, "Page, I bet you think your senses are useful."

Page frowned up at Reaver, "Well now, oh hell ya I do."

**I was so happy to receive alerts about people saving my fanfic on their subscription lists. It made me really grateful. Thank you to you all who support my story, really, you guys are amazing motivators! As always, Feedback is always appreciated. This is part one, so expect a part two! Thank you! P.S. The '*' are for real dialogues. Fable 3, Reaver, the hero of brightwall, Ben and etc do not belong to me. Although Lizzie is completely made up. :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Nightingale**

**Chapter 13: The Masquerade part 2**

**"Always mystify, mislead and surprise the enemy if possible."**

**-Thomas J. Jackson**

**~OOO~**

The Wheel of Misfortune spun the three teenager's dooms, the ticking of the mechanism sent strange shudders down Nightingale's spine. Sooner or later, cold beads of sweat would probably start forming on her porcelain forehead. The suspense finally ended and the ticking arrow landed on a strange figure of a head, well, they were almost all heads, but there were some symbols too. Nightingale narrowed her eyes and cocked her head to the side, 'That looks like…a hobbe head?' Nightingale shifted her head towards Page and Lizzie, they both looked at her with utterly confused expressions. A chuckle escaped from Reaver and his butler while some of the guests behind him glared down at the girls with the iciest stares. "Ahh…you'll be in for a surprise indeed. These little pests may be clumsy and stupid, but I wouldn't underestimate them, now, off with you, my lovelies." Nightingale casted a dark glare at Reaver. He seemed to have sensed her persistent grudge and smirked down at her from the balcony. She lowered her head to make her strange gray eyes cast a bright glow, making her large eyes cast a sinister look. They seemed to be having a staring contest before the gates to their little 'arena' opened up. Page sighed with annoyance and tugged on her arm, "Come on. You have plenty of time for that later. For now, the only way out is to play his ridiculous game." Lizzie reassured Page by patting Nightingale's shoulder, "She's right, come on." They all gave Reaver one last glance before turning around and heading towards the arena room.

Lizzie cleared her throat and addressed both of the girls that she was in the middle of, "D-did you notice that some of the guests were somewhat secluded from the others. Maybe it's my imagination, but they seemed…rather sinister." As they slowly walked down the hall, the shuffling of feet could be heard as Reaver and his guests made their way to the balcony of the arena room. Nightingale sucked in a rather sharp breath as she looked around, they seemed to be on a wooden large platform, too much jumping and shuffling could cause it to collapse into the depths below. At certain corners of the room, there were barred doorways. Page sighed, "That's probably where the enemies come in. I have a feeling that I'll be experiencing some new things from here on out." Lizzie patted Page on the shoulder and nodded, "You're not the only one. It seems the only Nightingale might have ventured enough to be mentally prepared for this arena." Nightingale smiled at her two friends and shook her head, "Don't say that, as long as we watch each other's backs, we'll make it." The door to the balcony slammed open and Reaver waltzed in sloppily, raising his arms, "Oh dear, such heart felt comments…really. But we must get the show on the road. At last, the piece de la resistance begins. Bring out the Hobbes!" Nightingale bit her lip and pulled out her sword, or rather, katana. The grip on the leather wrapped handle grew tighter and tighter. Page growled and then shook her power wigged head, "Hobbes? I thought those were just things in stories to make kids behave!" Nightingale shook her head, "No. I did at first too, but when I experienced battle with them, I knew it wasn't a dream." Lizzie was literally shivering next to her, her grip on he pistol was so weak and it seemed if someone were to pop up behind her, she would drop that pistol. "Night, I-I don't think I can do this." Nightingale scoffed, "Lizzie, I know can do this. I've seen you train, your quite the sharpshooter. Your aim is to kill. These little nubs are nothing. Tell you what, I bet this will make you feel better. Why don't you pretend that each and every one of these fools is that no good copycat, Barry." Laughter glimmered in Lizzie's eyes and she nodded confidently.

Above on the balcony, you could clearly hear Barry Hatch himself nagging at the young teenagers for making a fool of him. Their fun was short lived for Nightingale gasped upon hearing the barred entrances pounded on. The girls raised their weapons defensively and watched chips and splinters fly out as the barred doors were knocked down and the little creatures themselves emerged from the wreckage. The average Hobbe was about a toddler's height with wide bodies and large ears. Their silvery skin shone out through their tattered rags and their grubby fingers usually encircled an axe of some sort. Their eye whites which would have been white were actually black with silver irises that casted their fat little figures an even more ominous aura. Five had temporarily emerged out of the wreckage, hooting and swinging their axes around in an attempt to intimidate the girls. Nightingale pouted dramatically and smirked at Page and Lizzie while batting her thick lashes, "Aw. Let's see…hmm. Five idiots against three brains..let's show them what we've got."

**~OOO~**

Ben glowered down at the pebbled path of Bowerstone Market, it probably wasn't such a good idea to be around here considering he was so close to the castle and there was the matter of his Wanted posters almost everywhere. He was careful though. He had a simple blue tunic on and brown wool pants with ankle high black boots. The amount of blonde hair he had was tied back into a stubby low pony tail, his bangs blew against the slight breeze. Ben felt so insecure without his steel flintlock rifle and cutlass, the only things he had were a few hidden daggers. Ben momentarily stuck his tongue out at the ground, kicking at the pebbles. "I can't believe Page didn't believe the three hollowmen story, Avo! It pisses me off. I wanted to GO!" He didn't know where he had kicked the pebbles due to the darkness but he soon found out when he heard a young girl scream out. The sound of rolling produce echoed throughout the vast area. He bit his tongue and ran over to the fallen girl. "Oh, ouch, oh dear. The veggies." The girl scrambled to her knees and began to oddly inspect the vegetables. "Oh goodie. Nothing! You guys got lucky today." Ben kneeled down in front of her and began to pick up the veggies, "Are you ok? That didn't seem too fun." He wanted to smack himself because this was all his fault. He truly looked at the girl to see her expression only to find her giddily smiling. The girl had straight ginger hair that stopped at her hips, her bright green eyes mirrored her carefree attitude and the light freckles that dotted her small nose made her wide eyes look even more childish. The young woman was wearing a forest green dress and truthfully, she looked to be about Lizzie's age. Maybe a few months older. Her eyes widened when she realized that she hadn't answered Ben yet, "Oh no. Truthfully, I do this ALL the time. You know, don't tell anyone this." Then she looked around with laughter and mischief in her bright eyes, "I accidentally spilled tea all over King Logan this afternoon, I didn't mean it. Sometimes these legs of mine just like to get in the way of each other." A giggle escaped her and Ben stood up when she did, the girl was truthfully tiny in size. Ben was a few heads taller, a shiver ran down his spine as he tried to imagine the innocent town girl next to the King. 'But how did she get so close to the King, isn't she just a normal town dweller?'

The girl began to walk on, rambling as if he was still by her side. "Where are my manners? I'm Skylar. Now, I bet you're wondering how a normal girl like myself even got near the King. Well, it's quite a story. You see…" Ben scrambled up next to the tinny skinny girl. She waved a skinny arm around, her wrists were even smaller and her hands were long and delicate looking. "About a month ago, I was running low on money and decided that if I auditioned to be a maid then I could get a decent amount of pay. Well, I went to the castle only to be told by a guard that I was being silly and that a girl of my beauty could do other useful things, which honestly, I still don't know what he had meant by." Ben silently face palmed his self and stared at Skylar with bugged eyes. 'She's even more innocent then I thought. If someone would tell her to hand over a bag of gold with a gun in her face, she would honestly smile, shrug and then thank the person!' He snapped out of his thoughts and held a bag of produce tighter to himself and cocked his head towards the bubble headed Skylar. "The King had shooed off the guard and told me to show him what I got, so all excited, I entered the kitchen and grabbed a few cleaning utensils, though I was sorry for hitting a few people while I was exiting the kitchen. And you know the best part!" Her face shifted up at Ben's, the blush was clearly creeping up to her full cheeks. They weren't chubby, if he could describe her cheeks, the closest thing he would think of would be a chipmunk. But that wasn't what was on his mind, 'Is she seriously blushing?! W-what's wrong with her?' Ben was clearly trying to hide the creeped out look on his face as Skylar continued with wide excited eyes, "I…I thought I even saw a little smile on his handsome face." Ben was seriously going to start gagging, though what hit him as a shocker was the fact that the King had the ability to laugh at cute, clueless things? That was seriously strange. "Anyway, he did get mad after I accidentally broke a few pots and vases…I was told to leave after that. But! I didn't give up! I wanted to show him that I was determined and persistent so I kept coming back each day. I was lucky though, he didn't kick me out all those times. But, t-today. He got really angry about the spilled tea and told me to get out. I-I didn't cry, at least I don't think…I can't remember. I thought that if I bought a few supplies, I could make one of his favorite soups. I want to show him that I'm truly sorry." She smiled brightly and stopped, staring up at the castle entrance.

Ben hadn't realized and then smiled down at Skylar who took the bag of produce from him, "I'm sure he'll appreciate it. It was nice to meet you, but please, don't go runnin around here so late, you got it?" Skylar looked up at him and struggled a bit but she managed to cross an 'X' above her heart, "I promise, I'll be going now, bye-bye!" Ben nodded and waved as she was let into the caste. 'The damn bastard better appreciate what she's doin for him.' Then he sighed deeply and turned away from the castle, contemplating how odd it was that King Logan would allow such a normal girl to walk around the grounds of his castle so freely, could he like her? Ben mumbled a bit and then began making his way back to the Bowerstone Resistance.

**~OOO~**

Logan scribbled away at the piles of paperwork before him. Ever since he became King, the worry and burden began to pile up on his shoulders faster than he had contemplated. Dark circles shadowed his eerie gray eyes and anxiety was embedded into his skin, making him look slightly older than he actually was. He rested his head on his knuckles and sighed deeply, frustrated with his self. Logan couldn't even forgive himself for yelling so harshly at Skylar, a young beautiful girl that he had met a month ago on the castle grounds, she had been claiming to be auditioning for a job as a castle maid. He had made her cry! It brought him back to the time when he forced the burden of choosing life over life on Nightingale, making her cry. It stung when he remembered so he shifted his mind off of it with difficulty. Skylar's bubbly, happy attitude had shone a bright light on his figure, she was something. Something entirely different. Those eyes of her's would always widen upon seeing anything, but at the same time..she was somewhat of a burden. Always hurting herself and being very persistent, it was like she was trying to prove something to him. Another sigh escaped his slightly parted lips. A knock upon the door snapped him out of his deep trance, "You may enter." Logan turned to see a guard smiling quite giddily at him, "Well, sir, you se-" Logan had fully understood what the guard had intruded him for, down the hall you could hear the familiar voice of the tiny sized Skylar yelling at the top of her lungs, "KING LOGAN! I MADE SOUP FOR YOU! AH!" The sound of glass shattering echoed into his room. Logan silently face palmed his self and buried his face in his hands with a tiny grin. "I'LL CLEAN THAT! IT'S A GOOD THING I MADE AN EXTRA FEW BOWLS!" The scurrying feet of the tiny girl could be heard clearly, Logan put his head down on his desk with an exasperated sigh. Even though Skylar was a danger magnet, she had changed to lives of the servants in the castle, in a good way. It wasn't as tense as it was in the beginning.

**~OOO~**

The Hobbes seemed to be forming a line of defense to protect the dark magic using Hobbe in the back. The large wooden platform that they were on was starting to tilt to the right, not a good sign. Truthfully, Nightingale wasn't planning on plunging into those depths anytime soon. She wiped a streak of blood that was sliding down her pale cheek, a sting popped up for a few seconds but then subsided. The Hobbes didn't damage her too badly, just a scratch here and there. Though some uncomfortable feeling was forming in the pit of her stomach and it made her want to stop what she was doing. Lizzie shook her arms confidently and swiftly reloaded her pistol, her sword dangled in it's strap, slimy with black blood dripping off the ends. Both Page and Lizzie had been doing a good job of staying on their toes and avoiding critical damage. The three teenagers had been using different tactics, always staying back to back with each other. Hopefully, this trick would work with the other enemies they had ahead of them. Nightingale began to softly whisper her slightly crazy plan to Lizzie and Page so that the Hobbes wouldn't get any bright ideas. They were certainly curious though, they seemed to be leaning towards them. "Okay, what I'm going to do is use one of the Hobbes as leverage and jump over it and kill the magic user. While I'm doing that, I want you to keep the other Hobbes confused and kill them quickly one by one, that way, they'll be killed faster and efficiently." There was a strange crackle of a microphone as it was being tampered with, then a large eerie tune went off. They clamped their ears in frustration and glanced at each other before staring up towards the balcony, Barry could be seen with that damned microphone in hand. "Well, well ladies. What are you waiting for? Hobbes aren't quite the patient folk, and neither are our beloved guests. I don't know what you pretties think about Hobbes, but I find them rather sexy." The girls exchanged looks of complete disgust, it was as though time was miraculously stopped as the good guys and the bad guys stared up at the balcony with odd looks. Page had her face in her hand, "That's the most disgusting thing I've ever heard." Lizzie chuckled and nodded with agreement, "If you ask me, I'd say that he's trying a little too hard." A few of the guests along with Reaver snickered along. Nightingale seized the opportunity to pour her feelings out for Barry to him, he couldn't look anymore irritated, "Hmph. It seems like the only person's heart you can capture is a Hobbe's. You've basically just heard it from a real girl.." she gestured towards Lizzie and Page, "You in basic terms, S.U.C.K!" Good Avo! Why the heck was everyone having a conversation with each other, and during a battle too! What load of crap was this?! Reaver reached over for the microphone but Nightingale hunched over to make a dash for the defense of Hobbes, while everyone was distracted of course. "Now! Time's up pipsqueaks!"

She dashed head on towards one of the Hobbes and jumped up, using one hand to push down on it's head so that she flipped over it's body. Then Nightingale moved towards the magic using Hobbe, what a spot he picked. It was making her job easy, but then again, if she took one bad step, it'd be the end of the rebellious Princess. From the corner of her eyes she could see the line of defense quickly getting shot down due to their mass confusion. Maybe if she had been paying attention, the searing pain on her right arm wouldn't have happened. She snapped her head up to find the Hobbe laughing at her pain, she cupped her arm. The blood was trickling down slowly, the Hobbe had burned her. Nightingale's eyes widened upon seeing the Hobbe raise it's staff to make another one of those damned fireballs. She narrowed her eyes and dodge rolled out of the way. Suddenly the platform lurched to the left. Nightingale slipped out from under her legs and struggled to latch herself to the platform. "Are you two ok?!" Their were struggling grunts from the two but she looked over to see them nodding at her. "W-we have to climb our way to the right. It's the only way to fix this rickety platform!" After a few struggles and grumbles, they had managed to tilt the platform back in it's original place. 'Shoot. That little midget is still holding on.' Page growled and looked over at Nightingale with a nod, "Get him now, while he's still trying to get up." Nightingale dashed towards the confused Hobbe, it was definitely a good thing that she had chosen ballerina laced slippers instead of heels. Suddenly, the Hobbe pulled it's staff up and seemed to have smirked at her, it sent a dazzling ball of sparks her way. Nightingale's gray orbs widened and she fell forward in order to avoid it. She slid across the platform on her belly by the hobbies' grubby feet and kicked her leg out, causing the Hobbe to lose his balance and trip out from under his own feet. She scrambled to stand up, she mercilessly pounded a foot down on the Hobbe's abdomen to keep it down and then raised her sword above her head. It went slicing through the Hobbe's mouth, sending a blood curdling gurgle her way. Black blood splattered on the ground and over her sword. Her face twisted into utter disgust, fighting the urge to puke she put a hand on her stomach and the other over her mouth, "Good Avo…" the stench was quickly drifting up her nostrils, the blood was seriously overpowering any other smell that was around her.

Lizzie carefully walked over to her and gently patted her back, "Keep it together." Page slowly limped over to them. She had been given a shallow gash on her left leg, it was always the shallow wounds that hurt the most. "What's wrong, you ok?" Nightingale shot straight up and smiled almost nonchalantly, "Totally fine." Suddenly, thumping against one of the barred doors vibrated throughout the platform which shook the teenagers up a bit. "What? There's more?"

Reaver stared down at them with diminishing amusement, this was getting rather dull was it not? Though it had cracked him up a bit to hear the ladies and the masked Princess joke around about Barry, the man was literally fooled with 24 hours a day. The aura around him was growing sticky and tense, for some reason, it was as if he felt his "special" guests glare daggers at him, they were getting impatient a little too quickly. Reaver frowned down at his cane, this little game couldn't move a tad bit faster? If he didn't get them what they wanted, the deal would obviously be off. "Ah.." a whisper escaped his lips as he stopped reaching for the microphone, the Princess had peaked his interest yet again. He didn't know she was quite that fast, then again, midgets were fast in their own ways. The sneaky minx had used one of the Hobbes as leverage and killed off the magic using Hobbe with much difficulty of course…the platform had been groaning and creaking under their weight and had lurched to the left causing everything to dangle along for their lives. Reaver gritted his perfect white teeth, he was hoping for at least one person to die, but no, they played smart.

Now the audience mumbled with confusion, Reaver didn't remember having an extra Hobbe laying around. If it wasn't a Hobbe banging against one of the sealed off doors, then what in blazes was it? A loud barking could be heard as the dog had thumped, gnawed, and kicked his way through the wreckage. Reaver narrowed his eyes at the mongrel, 'When and how did that mutt even get through here?' A smirk found it's way to the Princess's lips and she began to kneel on the ground and called to her flee bitten companion. A gloved hand rested on a lever.

Nightingale gently clapped her hands together and called for her faithful companion, Oreo, who had miraculously found his way through Reaver's hell hole of a mansion. She couldn't blame him, he was beginning to miss the excitement. The dog laid his big brown eyes on his mistress and literally began hopping up and down like a bunny. All three of the teenagers faces had grown pale upon realizing that that snapping noise was coming from the slowly tilting platform. Page hissed and clamped a hand on Nightingale's shoulder, "What the hell is he doing here?! A-at least get him to stop! The platform is giving in!" Nightingale realized it was beginning to tilt to the right, they all wobbled their arms around, trying their best to maintain the balance they once had. She hissed angrily at the dog, "You silly mutt! Stop…it!" Oreo sloppily bounded over to Nightingale, his nails sinking into the tilted wooden platform. She picked him up and fought the urge to start spilling curses out of her mouth. Nightingale looked up to see Reaver laughing lightly, "Ahem, well, the reunion was quite heartwarming, mes belles, but I believe that we must move on." Her eyes widened and she turned, "Run! The platform is going to fall!" They all bolted for the door, Nightingale slinked behind her mates, making sure that they survived. She could survive harder beatings and longer falls, she was of Hero blood…but they weren't. The crowd of guests began to grip their stomachs from laughter as the young women began to slip and slide, running for the now open gateway back to the ballroom. Reaver took a deep breath and that evil smirk plastered itself onto his face yet again, "Tick tock, tick tock. Ladies, I would book for it." Nightingale felt a little confidence for the gateway was just right there, all they had to do was take a life threatening jump. A click of a lever being pulled echoed across the loud arena room and Nightingale screamed at the top of her sturdy lungs, "JUMP!" She had opened her eyes long enough to see that Page and Lizzie painfully make it across, but it had seemed that Nightingale had jumped a tad bit late. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the rush of wind to overlap her…but nothing happened. Nightingale opened her eyes and smiled, she was safe. Both Lizzie and Page grunted as they pulled Nightingale and Oreo up from the sudden death that they almost experienced. Page glowered at Reaver and shook her head, "What kind of sick joke was that, you animal?!" Reaver smirked deviously yet again and began to urge his guests back to the ballroom, "There's plenty more, my sweets. There's no time to waste." The girls glanced at each other and turned down the hallway, making a pitstop at a chest with food and healing supplies in it, though it was very few.

The next round had been even more tough though what they had gone against was all brawn and no brains. Mercenaries. The arena was sort of dirt like, with a few shrubs here and there. It was nice to see that Page and Lizzie had no problem killing the Mercenaries, though there was a double amount of the enemies. Lizzie had suffered a severe paralysis poison that had seeped through her body. For the next 10 minutes or so, Nightingale had to fend off Lizzie as Page cured her with an antidote. There had been a sweet triumphant moment as Nightingale killed the metal claw wearing freak that had paralyzed Lizzie. All that was left was the claw marks that covered Lizzie's chest, some of the dress she had worn was a bit tattered from that area but she luckily had a camisole on. Honestly, there wasn't much left of the teenagers' once gorgeous gowns, they were tattered and shredded from obscene fighting sequences. Then 30 minutes after that the girls had rummaged through another chest and were thrown into another arena. This one had casted an ominous aura around the slightly anxious girls. The area was fogged and swampy with thick marsh trees and murky water everywhere. Nightingale had almost gotten her head chopped off due to a spike of pain that had coursed through her not yet bulged abdomen, luckily as Nightingale suffered on the ground, Oreo had jumped to the rescue and attacked the skin shredded Hollowmen quite violently. He had jerked it's already undead body around until he managed to rip off the head. Oreo had shown the trophy with such tail wagging and jumping, Nightingale couldn't resist put treat him to a few adoring pats and hugs.

Lizzie and Page had a few gashes and cuts here and there, and so did Nightingale, but most of all…they were growing weary. Very weary. Sure they were given short pitstops…but that apparently was timed also. After rummaging through another chest, the were tossed into yet another arena. Their patience was at it's peak, there was so much anyone could honestly stand…but this had been too much. The arena was nothing but a vast desert surrounded by towering and withering pillars that threatened to crush a body until the soul painfully slipped out. Reaver had called it a "special" round, introducing an entirely different kind of enemy. Sand Furies. They were supposedly strange women from another country with masked faces that were bought especially for this event, and again, there was a little amount of patience left in the mentally broken young women. The Sand furies had posed as a very dangerous threat to the girls, it seemed as the the time had dragged on slowly while fighting these sand dusted women that burrowed deep in the sand and popped out at the last minute, blasting bolts of arrows from their ragged crossbows. A katana from one of the savage Sand furies had ripped a long wound across Nightingale's side, she was ready to just collapse on the ground, her life force was just getting sucked out of her. 'W-what if it gets hurt?' A hand almost went to her stomach defensively, but she dropped it and with the help of the also badly wounded and blooded Lizzie and Page, they finished off the last of the mysterious Sand furies.

**~OOO~**

Nightingale winced as she felt the wounds across her back reopen due to utter movements. The blood seeped through her dress. She was drenched head to toe with blood from herself as well as the blood from her previous opponents from hours ago. Lizzie was feeling sick, she was sick and tired of everything. What she wanted to do the most was fall into a comfortable bed and just sleep her wounds away. Gashes and scratched dotted themselves along her dirt clustered and blood stained figure. She looked over at Page to find the young woman glowering down at the ground, they were all resting near the wall in the hallway back to the ballroom, it was probably almost time, the sound of microphone echoing was their signal to get moving. Page painfully pounded her dirty hands on the dusty floor, "This is madness! Complete madness. I knew that he was crazy, but not to this extent! It's a massacre and I'm sick of it. No more, that's it, we're going to have to find a way to get Kidd down from that cage so we can get out of here!" The two other girls exchanged glances before wearily looking back at the disgusted Page. The noise of the microphone almost sounded like a scoff, it seemed to mock them, tease them. They all gathered their equipment and began to wobbly make it through the hall, Oreo whimpered and stayed by his mistress's side in case she were to trip over her fatigue. Finally making it painfully back to the ballroom, Page had finally had enough. She narrowed her light brown eyes at Reaver and pointed a finger at him, "*ENOUGH GAMES, REAVER!*" The rage in her choked voice was clear, it took all of Nightingale's power to not cringe at the stretched out exclamation. They all turned their attention to the now drunken guests, wrapping each other's arms around each other and sloppily swaying back and forth, laughing at the tattered remains of the young women below. Reaver slightly frowned down at the utterly boring entertainers…he tapped his cane against the smoothly tiled floor.

"*Oh! But they're such fun! And my guests do so enjoy fun!*" Page harrumphed loudly and Lizzie angrily crossed her arms across her chest. "Just give us back our friend and we'll be off our merry way. There's only so much anyone can endure!" Nightingale silently agreed with a soft nod, but what SHE wanted to do was rip of Reaver's mask and claw at his face…that way, no one would want to see him ever again. Reaver smirked down specifically at the hardy Princess and cocked his top hatted head to the side, tapping a gloved finger against his chin. "*You holier than thou idealists. Always thinking in the simplest, most binary of ways. But I quite agree. This game grows tiresome and my guests, they grow…restless.*" Nightingale couldn't remove her tranced gaze from Reaver's, his voice had grown so damp and eerie, it sounded positively frightening. 'Restless?' Lizzie silently gasped and nudged Nightingale and Page, nodding her head up at the counterpart, Barry Hatch. Page narrowed her eyes in disgust and whispered at them, "Only he would do that at such a dire time."

Barry Hatch had been watching one of the female guests, from what he noticed before, she seemed to be the quiet solemn type. 'Ah! All she needs is a little Barry humor.' Barry gently grabbed the female's hand and crept closer, "*No need to get restless, sweetheart. Barry Hatch is here to take care of you! Fancy a quick jig?*" Barry gently tapped the female's buttocks and gracefully twirled her around, holding their his position as the Wheel of Misfortune ticked away. The girls stared at that very guest with horror and wide eyes. She was transforming? But into what? What kind of sick act was this? The cracking and readjusting of bones could be heard from the female guest, her eyes snapped open to reveal a pair of sinister yellow eyes along with a set of sharp meat tearing teeth. Nightingale stared and stared, a chuckle could be heard from Reaver as his normal guests looked around with panic stricken faces. Reaver turned his head to the side so that he can view the scene behind him clearly, seriously, there had to be some kind of fun in a secret society party. The female guest had been turned away from Barry, for he had no clue what was happening. Though, she was no guest anymore, rather, she was a strange werewolf type creature with claws as long as 9 inches and a coat of the darkest brown…making it hard to spot them at night. Balverine. Reaver smirked and turned his head away when the Balverine tightened her grip on Barry's hand, 'What a fool. You can't just have one butler. Things happen.' The look on the lovely Princess's face had sent an exciting chill through his spine. She was terrified and he loved it. The best part was that she couldn't even look away.

Barry opened his eyes due to the grip on his hand tightening, was that women's hand that large just a few seconds ago? The whole hand had encircled his, hmm. "*Ooh, you're a rough one, ain't ya! But I like that in a women. You're just…*" he had tilted his head down to find an enormous hairy hand literally crushing his, did he dare to look up? A scream fumbled out from him as his eyes locked with the Balverine's. The normal guests were now scrambling to run away, for now even more shapeshifting Balverines had revealed themselves. In the hands of a Balverine, it was impossible to get out unscathed. "*Wha, agh, hey, hey, Reaver! HELP!*" He was short lived for the Balverine pounced mercilessly on him as he dared to escape. Nightingale felt the color drain from her face, what was this? What the hell was going on?! Is this what he meant by secret society? This was no secret, it was a cruel..sick deed! The Balverine had pounced on the dying Barry. His blood splattered the ground and walls and the sound of ripping flesh echoed throughout the room. Nightingale put a hand up to her mouth and closed her eyes, quickly jerking her head away. 'That monster.' The spluttering and blood curdling screams had finally seized and there lay Barry Hatch, ripped into literal shreds and devoured.

Reaver smirked as usual and leaned coyly on his cane, "*Oh dear. Do you brutes have any idea how hard it is to find good staff? Still, one might as well enjoy the show, what's the use of a "secret" society without a little secret, after all?*" He leaned over the side of the balcony and watched with a glint of amusement in his deadly eyes as the Balverines jumped down and begun to circle the vulnerable women below. Lizzie was cowering behind her sword and pistol, what were these things?! She hadn't expected to actually experience combat with a real Balverine! Lizzie had only heard of them in deathly stores and field guides. "H-how are we going to get out of this one? Please tell me that at least one of you has experienced battle with these things!" They were back to back with each other, staring back at the Balverines with icy glares. Currently, there were three Balverines that had jumped down, but up top the balcony there were three more…hunched on their long legs, ready to substitute themselves for a fallen comrade. Page "tsked" and held her sword out, despite her tough voice, she was slightly shivering. All of the pain, over exertion and fear was threatening to crush her under it's weight. "Well, Night? It's obvious that both of us have never seen these things before." Nightingale shook her head and held her sword with one hand and her pistol, the Bonesmasher, in the other. "I've never encountered these things before. I-I guess there's a first for everything?" A scoff from Page and a growl from Lizzie told her that they were positively not convinced.

Page bit her lip and replied, "Well, maybe we should watch our backs, those claws look like they could easily make sausages out of us." Lizzie nodded just to feel comfortable, "And those legs are packed with muscle, they're probably good jumpers and fast on their toes." Nightingale nodded back, feeling a little bit more confident, "Those jaws are used for some serious breaking, let's not get caught in one of those." Above, Reaver could be heard tutting and yawning, "This isn't a field study, my dears, I would commence the fighting. Their appetites aren't exactly sated." Nightingale took a second to glower at Reaver and turned her head right on time to see all three Balverines pounce at them, claws extended and mouths oozing blood and drool. "SPLIT!" They dodge rolled out of the way along with a slightly whimpering Oreo and watched briefly as the Balverines accidentally smacked into each other. One of the Balverine's claws had racked their way through a comrade's heart, causing the warm red liquid to drip down it's claws. The other had seemed to chip a sharp dagger like tooth. They both had turned their way angrily, suddenly, they screamed out with mouths extended. It was so loud and screechy, it made the girls clamp their hands over their ears. "Lizzie, shoot one!" Lizzie fumbled for her pistol and aimed at the chip toothed Balverine that had it's mouth conveniently open. She shot it a few times, it screamed and hissed out in pain until it had fallen back in it's own pool of blood. Nightingale smirked a bit and put a hand on her hip, "That's why it's important to file your nails and to keep your mouth shut." Lizzie looked at Nightingale, triumph stitched into her very features, she had taken out her first Balverine. And lived to see it too! Their glory was cut short for the three other Balverines jumped down. Page shook her head and gritted her teeth. Reaver could be heard chuckling at their sloppy feat. "*I hope you're finding them amusing to fight. I don't want you to get bored.*" Page glowered deathly at Reaver and prepared for a beating, "We're going to have to step up our game. Four at once is completely ludicrous. Be careful."

**~OOO~**

Nightingale screamed out as the last Balverine swiped it's claws deeply across her back, she tumbled forward on her side, doing her best to protect her not yet developed baby. Lizzie yelled out her name and dragged her way towards her weapons that were scattered far away from her. She had been just as badly injured as Page and Nightingale. She suffered a deep bite from a Balverine on her arm, she had also slightly been racked on her legs and her previous wounds had opened up again. Page wasn't in great shape either. She had been scratched across her left cheek and had a broken leg and her previous wounds had reopened. Nightingale suffered from deep racks across her back, scratches on her arms and legs and her previous wounds had opened up as well. Page painfully stood with her pistol in her hand, wobbling to the side due to her broken leg, she aimed with both eyes open and shot the Balverine a few times before it actually fell back with a final scream. The Balverines had done more damage to them then they had contemplated. Reaver cocked his head to the side and surveyed the area. They had obliterated his "special" guests….all of them. Then he leaned his chin on his cane and smirked slightly while deviously purring out, "*How does it feel to be "torn apart" by Bourgeois Balverines, hmm?*" Page limped over along with Lizzie and helped Nightingale up, if they were allowed to collapse right there, they would have a long time ago. The teenagers stood side by side next to a blood stained Oreo, thankfully it wasn't his blood. Page spit down on the ground and glared up at Reaver. "*Well, I must say, you've made me out to be a somewhat "poor" host! Rather rude of you to dispose of all my guests.*" Nightingale slightly leaned on Lizzie for support, her breathing was labored and she had the need to go puke and cry. "That's enough Reaver, say your last prayers. I'll be relieved once I see your filthy blood splatter these walls!" Page pointed her pistol up at Reaver's tall figure and pulled the trigger.

This had sparked a strange glint in his eyes as he held his cane up and gracefully deflected it out of his way. The sound of the bullet colliding with the cane hit a musical note, the bullet swooped through the air and landed right at Page's feet with a soft "clink". They're eyes widened and the girls stared at one another before returning their attention back to the cackling Reaver. "*Oh! My dear girl! Why not stop all this bickering! The four of us can go up to my quarters and have a private party.*" Page glared up at the fop of a man and clenched her fists into a tight ball of steel. "*Do you have any idea who this is?! This is Logan's sister, the Princess!*" That sent Reaver on another round of chuckling and hysterical laughter, he tapped his cane a few times and leaned on it yet again, amusement casting out a strange aura around him. "Ah yes, of course, the bonafide Hero! What? Do you see me as fool? A ninny? Of courseI know it is none other than the lovely Princess herself. There is nothing that can be hidden from me, nothing at all. But, well, *I would never "dream" of coming between siblings.*" His eerie voice finally lowered to a whisper as he slowly turned around and began to walk away, "*Well, that's not strictly true…there was that one time.*" The sound of double doors groaning upon force could be heard from down on the ballroom floor, "*Anyway, best of luck with this whole…revolution lark! Perhaps we'll meet again one day. Tatty bye!*" Page backed up until she could see Reaver walk out the door, she cursed out and shot from her pistol again only to hit the frame of the door as it closed behind Reaver. "Hey! You!" They all seemed to sigh with relief, the nightmarish night was well over.

Nightingale squinted her eyes upon seeing the first rays of light stream out through a curtained window, "Looks like it's a whole new day." Before anyone could reply, Kidd shook the cage a bit to get their diminishing attention, "Alright. That's wondrous, but can we get out of here now?"

**~OOO~**

Page stretched painfully and smiled upon seeing the bright sun beam down on her fatally wounded figure, they were finally out of that devious monster's mansion. She turned towards an extremely injured Nightingale and smiled, then she held out her hand. "You're so much more than I thought. You're something this country needs. Nightingale, you fully have my trust and I will stand by your side. But. Promise me this: Please end the suffering of the people of Bowerstone Industrial. The new generation needs to stand up and be healthy again. The children need the education and shelter to get somewhere. Please, promise me." Her dirt clustered hand awaited Nightingale's. Nightingale smiled up at Page and firmly grasped her hand, "I promise." They let go and stared off towards the horizon, "Good. We better head back." Everything suddenly went grayscale and time froze. Nightingale turned her head towards the bright portal to the Road to Rule. Theresa was calling her. She sighed and limped through it.

**Oh my god! I feel as though I typed ALOT. When I was writing it down, I couldn't help but count how many pages it accumulated to: 27 pages! Anyway, I was glad to see all the followers I've been gaining and the reviews! I feel so loved and motivated! I'm really sorry that I took so long to update, guys. I had gotten busy in the middle of it. Ha. Anyway, please review and follow to your heart's content! I don't mind! **

**As usual, the Disclaimer. I don't own Fable, Fable 2, or Fable 3 or any of it's characters…that all belongs to Lionhead. Nightingale, Lizzie, Angel, and Skylar rightfully belong to me. Thanks so much guys! Can't wait to write the new chapter!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Nightingale**

**Chapter 14: My Dear King**

**"Sometimes I wonder what you think of me or if you do at all."**

**-Anonymous **

~OOO~

The smell of sweet grass and healthy air blew into her very frame. Was that a waterfall in the distance? Some..someone was calling her name? The blinding light streamed through her closed lids and gave her vision a bright color. It was uncomfortable. She slightly frowned, biting her lower lip. Her big green eyes snapped open and she sat up on the cushiony soft grass, it was bright and inviting…the ends of the blades tickling her fingertips. A confused look shadowed across her features as she looked around the brightly hued area, it looked like a meadow of some sort..and she seemed to be on top of a mountain. The hue around her gave the area a soothing effect…she was not worried..nor was she in a hurry. The young woman quickly found that she liked this place…but she swore, wasn't she asleep in the castle?

"…Lar?! Skylar?! Sky? Where are you, honey?" Skylar's head snapped in all directions. Those voices were strangely familiar and she scrambled to get up. Could it be? Was it them? The ends of her dress brushed across branches as she found herself quickly scurrying through a dense forest. A gasp escaped her lips as she stopped at the bridge, she knew there had been a waterfall here. It roared next to her, the slight breeze sent the spray tickling her warm skin. A giggle escaped her lips and she squinted her eyes to daze across the bridge. There were figures. It seemed to be a male and a female. "Oh, honey, look. There she is! Skylar? What are you waiting for? Come here!" That voice was familiar. She began to walk across the bridge, then she found her self walking faster and faster until she was sprinting towards the end of the long lasting bridge. Skylar almost ran head onto the two familiar figures in front of her. They had smiles pasted to their faces and they held their arms out to her. "M-mother? Father?! MOTHER! FATHER!" Then she ran head long into their wide open arms, they welcomed her by kissing her forehead and soothingly whispering her name…rubbing her arms to calm her stirring soul.

"I-I-I missed you two so much! I missed all of you. Where have you been Father, I thought you left us? Mother? Why did that scary guy take you away from me?! Wh-where is little sis? Why won't you two answer me?!" Her arms…her arms, they were hurting. Burning. What..what was happening? They were squeezing her arms, she snapped her eyes open…the tears finally trickling down her face. Then her eyes widened, they were staring down at her with such dagger like stares…it scared her, petrified her. "Wha..wh-" Then all of a sudden they began shrieking and they threw her away from them. Her Mother and Father gripped their heads and screamed and screamed…cursing her. Claiming that she was demented and evil. That everything happened because of her. She was confused..what were they talking about. Skylar knew that she wasn't at fault for what happened to her family, she was a victim. "WHY?! OH DEAR AVO! WHY DID SHE NOT SAVE US?!" Suddenly, she stared at them from her position on the ground with horror filled eyes, they were brimming over to the edge with tears…but she couldn't mistake what she had seen, it was too vivid. They began to melt into the very warm liquid that flowed through their veins. Yes, blood. A shriek escaped her lips and she tried to scramble away only to end up slipping and sliding against the hot, slippery and sticky blood. It was overpowering, Skylar could no longer smell the sweet grass, or taste the tangy air…blood was blocking her very path. Finally, she managed to get up, only to end up running for her life towards the meadow, for salvation. For safety. Skylar's dress caught and ripped on the branches, but she wouldn't stop until she was away from there.

Skylar fell head long onto the dirt, the tears mixing in with the blood and dirt. 'People just can't do that. T-this is not real, no, no, no. This isn't real. Skylar, this isn't real!' Convincing herself wasn't working either, she was too terrified to get that devastating image out of her head. And to make things worse, there were shadowy cloaked figures around her, it seemed as though they were glaring down at her, she couldn't tell though. They were wearing long bird like masks. Skylar let out another shriek and stood up, circling and shuffling around to look at everyone of the tall figures that loomed over her, laughing at her pitiful state. "W-who are you?! Why are you bothering me?" Shrieks, harrumphs, and grumbles echoed loudly through her ears and she gasped, looking all around again. Her ginger hair slapping across her back crazily. Then suddenly, the tallest figure of them all leaned down, coming up right in her face. Their noses were barely touching. His mask was scary to her, it had a happy face but there was blood stains all over it and she swore she saw pointy teeth. What scared her the most was those piercing yellow eyes that glowered right through hers. "We are the judges..and you my dear, are the accused." Skylar jerked back a step and knitted her eyebrows together in confusion. "A-accused? Whatever do you mean? I didn't do an-anything. Nothing!" Screechy laughter rang thunderously through her ears and she bit her lip and clamped her hands over her ringing ears…it was beginning to hurt. Another judge came up to her face causing her to take a step back, that bright blush filtered through her cheeks from embarrassment and the fact that he was so close. Personal space probably meant nothing to these scary men. "Nothing you say, hmmm…" then the bird man contemplated by tapping a clawed finger against his mask. "So you say that you did try to save your family?" Realization hit her hard in the side and she weakened a bit, she sank down to her knees and wiped away at her tear streaked face.

Skylar didn't try to save her family..did she? All she could remember clearly was her father yelling..and, and walking away while her mother and sister along with her were dragged away from their home…to somewhere..but where did she go? Skylar could only remember her mother and herself huddled in that one corner for months and months until one man with a sword had come by and dragged her mother away. No, Skylar had begged of the man and pulled on his cape, she remembered that her eyes had widened from the fact that there was fresh blood on his sword. Then he smirked down at her and raised his sword up only to butt the end of it extremely hard against her skull…then he disappeared. The last thing she had remembered from that night was being in a warm bed…her head was bandage wrapped and a stranger woman, that she had currently known for years, Mrs. Rose, had told her that she had found her in a pool of her own blood.

Skylar stood back up again and watched the contemplating bird man chuckle at her pitifulness, "I-I can't remem-" Then they shrieked again, and again. Pointing clawed fingers at her and pushing her down on the dirt, "She's guilty! Guilty! Liar, seductress! Guilty, guilty. Let's kill her! Kill her and eat her!" Her eyes widened and she cupped her hands over her ears and circled around to stare at all of the bird like judges that tried to claw at her and smirked at her, they knew she was frightened. The tallest judge came up in her face again and grabbed her by the chin, "5 against 1. There is no where to go girl, take your punishment. Take it and may Skorm forever lock you up in the Void." Skylar shrieked loudly and began to back up as they slowly made their way towards her, she shook her head and pleaded…suddenly the ground went out from under her and she was sent falling back into the dark abyss that awaited her. The last thing she could remember was her shrieking. Screaming and screaming.

~OOO~

Logan jerked his head up upon hearing screaming coming down from the other end of the corridor. He threw the book down on the arm chair that he was resting on and quickly began to walk down the corridor to figure out what was going on. Where was that coming from, this was the first time that he had ever heard screaming in a very long time…other than executions and trials. The last time he had gone to check where the screaming had come from was when his very sister had been screaming and thrashing in her bedroom. Yelling strange things and crying out loudly, even Oreo, her faithful companion had whimpered trying to nuzzle his mistress awake. But that time was long gone, she was long gone. He shook his head to clear his memory and narrowed his dark gray eyes before approaching the guest room. That voice was familiar and the only person who slept in this room was…Skylar. His eyes widened upon realizing it and he flung open the door and quickly ran in to find the young girl twisting and turning in the bed, she was clutching the bed sheets so tightly, he swore that her knuckles couldn't get any whiter. Cold beads of sweat was forming on her porcelain forehead and tears were streaming down her face. It hit him like a blow from a war hammer of sorts. He had never, ever seen Skylar in this condition. What was going on? Where did all that happiness run off too?! Then he quickly cursed at himself and ran over to the girl's side, he sat down on the bed and stared down at her with a confused look. 'What am I suppose to do?! Smack her awake! Shake her? Hold her?! What?!' Then he sighed, what had he done when his sister had been going through the same thing? He had gently awoken her and cradled her until she had fallen back asleep soundly.

Logan cringed, the screaming was overwhelming…the few servants that slept here were probably all awake and wondering what was happening. He had to get her to stop. Then he gently rested a hand on Skylar's, "Skylar. Skylar. Wake up, wake up. Nothing is going to happen to you, I'm here. It's just a nightmare. Please, wake up Skylar." The grip on the bed sheets had instantly loosened and he grabbed both of her hands and gently began to shake her in an attempt to get her to get up. 'This is…getting to be too much. First the glass shattering and clumsiness, now this?' He shoved that out of his head, he shouldn't be thinking that way in the first place, it was like he was killing a bunny. Logan cursed himself for thinking about Skylar like that. Then he released a hand and gently began brushing strands of hair from her tear streaked face. The screaming was subsiding until it finally stopped…though she hadn't awoken yet. Suddenly the girl snapped her bright green eyes open and clamped her hands tightly around his neck, "You'll never take me! N…" then she had realized that it was the King himself who was sitting over her and gently caressing her. Logan stared down at her long fingers for a second and then sighed when she slowly lowered her hands…those brilliant eyes of hers here wide with horror and fear. "K-King Logan…?"

Skylar's cheeks went bright pink from the fact that King Logan had invaded her personal space and was now indeed touching her face. But..she had to admit, it felt..normal. It was soothing and comforting. Skylar WANTED him to continue, but to her dismay he had eventually pulled his hand back and now only stared at her with pity and worry, she cleared her throat and then suddenly realizing that she was only wearing a camisole and some drawers, she wrapped the blanket around her and smiled up at him, it was unconvincing though. Even Logan himself wasn't buying it. "I-I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you. I.." then she sighed and stared down at her long fingers, she toyed with the edge of her blanket. "It's alright, it happens. I go through those quite a lot myself…though, the screaming and kicking is omitted." A small smile found it's way across her lips and she looked up at him from under her lashes to find that he too was smiling down at her. He seemed like an entirely different person…around his subjects and the crowd he was strict and nearly unforgiving. But when he was free from the world, he was…this. He was himself. "Was it that bad?" Realizing that she had been staring a little too long at his gray eyes she looked down only for a second and then back up at him with a crooked smile, "Well. Yes. This was the first time that I truly had a nightmare in years." Then she pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them…resting her chin on her kneecaps.

Logan was relieved to see that he had smiled at his somewhat joke. He just wanted her to feel better, he just couldn't stand seeing her upset. Logan had never seen it in the month and a half that she had been here. Logan suddenly felt the uncomfortable aura around the two as he noticed that she wasn't really dressed. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly but couldn't help staring at her when she was looking down at her kneecaps. Those fingers of hers were long and delicate, almost intricate if fingers could be described like that. Her eyes were absolutely dazzling, he had never seen such brightness in any eye color before. Those green eyes always penetrated him, it was like she saw through him with those. He couldn't stop his eyes from lingering to her bare shoulders, they looked so soft and delicate. He couldn't imagine a sword ripping through that flesh, it almost made him cringe. Logan was actually glad that the girl decided to wrap her blanket around herself, he didn't know if he would have been able to stop. But…that hair, oh, that hair. The most beautiful color he had seen, it covered her shoulders and back. He remembered the way it felt when he had gently pulled his fingers through the strands of her hair..so soft and silky. Inviting..Gah! Enough of this! He mentally slapped himself and looked down to find her oddly staring at him, she was trying to hold back laughter, he could tell. Logan cleared his throat and smirked when she began to loudly laugh at his reaction.

Skylar didn't exactly know what she was laughing at, the only thing she really saw was him staring off into space and making strange facial expressions, as if he was having a battle with his self inside his mind. But he looked positively..well..cute! It was indeed strange to describe the King like that and she highly doubted that anyone else thought about the King the way she did, but she didn't care. Her opinion was hers…not anyone else's. After her laughing spree had subsided she wiped a tear of laughter from her eyes and cleared her throat, "Do..do you do that a lot, King?" Logan stared down at her awkwardly before gently leaning his head on his knuckles, "Hm. Now that you mention it, I think I do. Of course, I can't really tell until someone says something, which in this case, you indeed did. So yes, I suppose I do." Skylar laughed, gently scrunching her nose up like a child, those freckles made her look positively childish…but he didn't mind. Then he raised a finger, "And do you do THAT a lot…?" Skylar looked at his pointed finger and then looked down at herself before looking back up at him with a confused look. She raised her eyebrows and cocked her head to the side, "Do what, s-sir?" Logan gently clenched his fist, she looked, so..so…well, it pained him to think of this…but, she looked so cute doing that. Goddamnit, this was no time to think like that! He was the King for heavens sake! "Well, do you laugh a lot?" NOW he wanted to smack himself, of course she laughed a lot! He had seen her do it, she did it almost 24 hours a day! What kind of stupid question was that?!

Skylar giggled, he seemed to be cursing his self again. Then she stared at him, contemplating. Now that she thought about it, she never really was able to see through any other person so easily other than the King himself. A bright spark flashed in her eyes has her hopes flared up, 'Is it fate?!' Then she pushed that thought out of her mind and decided that she would find that out later. Skylar gently rocked on the bed and stared up at him while she rested her head against her kneecaps, "Well, my King, I sure do. I find that the much more laughter and happiness you find in life, the easier you flow through it. It's less stressful and more fun, and it soothes one's soul. That's why I'm always smiling and laughing." To show that she had seriously meant it, she smiled brightly at him and sat up yet again to find him staring at her genuinely. As if he really wanted to hear that piece of advice, then again, maybe he did. King Logan was always so tense and stressed. An idea sparked in the back of her mind and she waited for him to say something.

Logan cocked his head to the side and stopped staring at her, now he was just contemplating on how powerful her words had been, and how easily they had affected him. He wanted to know more, he wanted to be happy again. Logan hadn't always been this scornful or strict. This was not him, he was not what people thought he was. Logan was actually a kind hearted person…he was always trying to look out for his people. It just…his affection just didn't come out the right way and now people sought him out to be a tyrannical maniac, the first few years of his rule were peaceful years..he missed them. But Logan knew, he knew if he stepped down a notch, everyone would eventually die. Everyone would eventually disappear. He couldn't afford that, no. Noticing that he had been thinking too long, he had found Skylar lowering her head so that her eyes bore through his, "Sire..what..what's wrong?" Logan snapped his head up and pursed his lips into a thin line, "Oh. Nothing, I was just…thinking." Then he stared right at her, he rested his head against his knuckles yet again, a habit really, "W-what can I do to be happy..?" He knew that was obviously a really stupid question, Logan could somehow find happiness himself, but he wanted to do it with..Skylar. He wanted to see what made her tick. He tried to hold back an uncomfortable sigh as Skylar's eyes widened, making the light freckles that dotted her nose stand out a bit more.

Skylar cocked her head to the side and she knew very well that her eyes might be bugging at the moment. That's why the King had looked down with that uncomfortable look. She cleared her throat, that blush filtered through her cheeks. Then she looked up once more to find that King Logan was staring at her intently, with a sort of…dazed look. Or was she wrong? She almost stared back but twined her fingers together to get her mind off of it, she looked back up at him and smiled slightly, "Well. You've come to the right person, your Majesty. I've got just the solution for your problem. But…I don't intend on telling you what that is. You'll just have to find that out yourself." She whispered it out in a sing song way and watched his features knit together in confusion. A giggle escaped her lips and she hugged the blanket tighter, "You'll find out. Tomorrow, I promise." Logan stared back at her with utter confusion but then sighed..he was a tad bit irritated, but if she wanted to play her little game..he would go along with it. A tiny grin shifted onto his face and he nodded well swiping his ebony hair back. "Alright. But..please. I don't want to end up dying with embarrassment." That sparked another light laugh from Skylar and a small smirk from his self as well, he cleared his throat and looked up at her, she didn't look convinced and suddenly…he found his self dreading what was coming for him. "Oh..nothing like that, your Majesty. I cross my heart." And she actually did, he knitted his eyebrows with amusement at her little gesture but went along with it. The moon filtered through the window that she laid by and it casted a beautiful glow against her features..almost..almost angelic.

Logan finally stood up and smoothed out his clothing, he was deciding on actually going to sleep. It was very late and he still had to get up for royal duties. Finding sleep was hard for Logan, it wasn't before…but it was now. "Very well. And Skylar…?" He looked down at her when she looked up with her eyes widened and her eyebrows cocked, "Yes, your Majesty?" He nodded and crossed his arms across his chest, "You don't have to call me that anymore..your Majesty and such. I give you permission to call me Logan. Hmm?" She had cocked her head the the side and it seemed as though bewilderment crossed her features and then her cheeks flared up, he cocked his head to the side and examined her reaction. "Ahh..yes your Maj-" He had given her stern glare which probably knocked her right out, "I mean. Yes, Lo..Log." He found that her attempt in trying to actually not call him King was amusing. He gently kneeled down and stared at her, "Logan. L-o-g-a-n." Skylar stared at him for a while and he found his self gently leaning in towards her, he cleared his throat and backed up again, "Logan?" He looked up at her eyes and slightly grinned, "Yes?" Skylar cocked her head to the side and blinked her large green eyes, "Rest now."

Skylar was slightly astonished though she did a good job of covering it up, 'W-was he actually leaning in towards me? He was wasn't he?!' She mentally smacked herself down, 'Don't get your hopes too far. Patience is the key. You can't and you shouldn't rush anything.' Did she actually see that smile widening there for a second. Skylar couldn't exactly confirm for he had gently patted her head and now stood up, walking out of her room. "I will now. I'll try to finish my duties as fast as I can tomorrow, I'm eager to see what you have in store for me." He had turned his head towards her and with one final intense stare, he slipped out towards his room. Leaving her completely mystified. Skylar put a hand up to her mouth and then smiled giddily while plopping back down to go back to sleep. Yes, she had much in store for him tomorrow.

~OOO~

Logan paced back and forth in the War Room, double checking and making sure that everything was done. He really didn't want to be bombarded with anything else…he really wanted to see what Skylar was scheming. Logan picked up the quill and checked off the last of his royal duties. He was shocked that there actually wasn't that much to do today…though sitting in the Throne Room for more than an hour had taken a toll on him, it was almost painful listening to everyone's problems. He walked around his work desk and set the quill and check list down, then he straightened out his clothing and swept back his hair before clearing his throat and making his way out towards the caste gardens. Logan didn't go around there much anymore…the nobles were irritating and it almost pained him to walk through the gardens, memories would overtake him and guilt would wash through him. Logan was 99.9% sure that Skylar was there, if not there then she was in the kitchens working and telling stories or she was sweeping around the castle and chattering away with the servants and guards. He awkwardly strolled out into the gardens to the nobles' surprise, he walked up to a woman and she bowed deeply which also irritated him beyond belief. "Excuse me, I was wondering if you spotted a young girl with long red hair?" The powder wigged woman giggled nicely and pointed towards a secluded area with roses and flowers, "She's in there. Singing." Logan tried not to smirk and held on, he nodded and began striding towards that area, he was glad that not many people came here. Maybe it was the overpowering smell of the flowers? This garden had been especially planted by none other than the Hero Queen herself and Logan had been making sure that the garden wasn't dying off all these years.

Skylar was singing an old lullaby that her Mother used to sing to her and her younger sister when they were about to go to sleep. To her, the tune was magical and inviting, it was spiritual and stirring. She loved it so much, the injured dove in her hands silently cooed. Skylar should really get inside to tend to it's broken foot, but what if the Ki-..what if Logan was looking for her? She decided if she spoke calmly and sang softly to it, it would calm down and rest easily in her hands…which it indeed did. Skylar gently petted it and smiled down at it, 'He's so soft.' The sound of feet could be heard making their way here, she smiled, 'It has to be him!' Skylar shook her head and pretended to not notice the feet shuffling closer and closer. "You're indeed a beautiful bird, don't worry. I'll see to it that you get healed."

Logan searched throughout the garden and he snapped his fingers together, 'She most be by the pond.' And he was right, there she was, humming softly and sitting gracefully on the lone bench. But what was she doing? Who was she talking to? Was she holding something? He cleared his throat and the bubbly girl jumped a bit and turned her head, causing her sea of red hair to swirl around her. "Ah. Logan! You're here. Come, sit! Look at what I found!" Logan smiled slightly and nodded, he slowly walked over and sat down next to her, distancing his self. Then he stared down, almost astonished to see what was in her hands. "A dove? Where ever did it come from?" Skylar sneaked a peek at him and then went back to gently petting the calm dove, "Yes. I found him under a bush, the poor thing…his leg is broken. Must have been trying to escape a predator." She smiled sadly and looked up at him with her bright green eyes, if he could be blinded, it was probably happening now. Logan cleared his throat and then on instinct reached out and began to gently pet it. "I see." They were silent for a moment, maybe for too long. What was he doing? He had the sudden desire to impress her, so he shall! Logan stood up and offered his gloved hand, "Let's go." Skylar stared down a bit confused but took his hand nonetheless. She followed behind Logan until they were out of the secluded area, then he gently called out for a guard. "Give me the bird."

He then realized that she wasn't answering but only staring at him with raised eyebrows and wide eyes, so he decided to stare back…hopelessly confused. Did he say something wrong?

"His name is Roger."

"Alright then, give me Roger."

"Say please, Logan."

A sigh escaped his lips and he grinned slightly at her silly argument, "Can you please hand over Roger?"

"Absolutely, Logan."

Logan gently held the stirring bird in his hand, then he hushed it and calmly talked to while the guard quickly made his way over to the King and Skylar. The guard approached a bit hesitant but when he saw Skylar, he seemed to have calmed down a bit. Logan sneaked a glance at Skylar only to find the girl's attention fully on him. He stared down at the guard and held out the bird to him, "I need you to go take this dove to the infirmary." The guard was hesitant yet again, he took it and then knitted his eyebrows in confusion, "B-but, your Majesty. It's just a-" Logan put his hands behind his back and literally glowered down at him, "I need you to take the dove to Dr. Mirabelle and have her tend to it. Thank you." Skylar popped out from behind Logan with a smile etched on her face, she looked at the confused guard and pointed down at the dove, "His name's Roger!" The guard smiled just a bit but nodded and quickly began making his way towards the infirmary. Logan turned around to face Skylar and rubbed the back of his neck, the sun was beaming down on them casting a bright hue behind Skylar, he stopped rubbing the back of his neck and stood up tall and straight, staring down at the tiny sized girl. "Well, now that Roger is taken care of. What is on your mind for today?"

Skylar smiled up at him and folded her hands behind her back and began swaying around on the heels of her feet like a little child. "Well! I'm so glad to see that you finished your duties so quickly! Let's see…" she was now teasing him, he could feel it. The look on her face was of mischief and laughter, he cocked his head to the side and patiently waited for her to continue, "We're going to Bowerstone Market to have some fun, I set up a few things." Logan's eyes widened when she gently grabbed his arm and wheeled him around sharply, he fumbled a bit but stood up tall again, trying to compose his Kingly features. For a short person, she was very forceful. "B-but. Skylar. I can't just waltz into the Market, I'm the King for heaven's sake!" Skylar let out a quiet laugh and let go of his arm once she knew that he wouldn't run back into the confines of caste. They were getting closer to the Market. They were walking along the side of the road, watching carriages go here and there, they could hear the literal bustling of the people of the Market. "Don't worry, everyone is expecting you. I announced that you would be around the Market. So trust me, they'll be on their best behavior." Logan wasn't worried about that, he was worried about the amounts of people glaring daggers at him. Bowerstone Market was filled with mostly Nobles and just a few beggars, so maybe not..

~OOO~

The sun was finally setting and people were beginning to settle into their homes. Skylar had to admit, today was probably the best time of her life in years! A whole day with the King! Of course, he was hesitant to enter the Market in the beginning, but she noticed that he grew to ignore the curious stares. They were probably wondering why the King was walking around with such a normal town dweller. All in all, Logan and Skylar had spent the day doing a bunch of things. To start off, Skylar had found a man that had been having a beetle problem in his home for a while now, so she had handed Logan a sling shot and together they had terminated the beetles once and for all, free of charge. The man had been so pleased and happy, Logan had been quite surprised to receive such a grateful bow from him. But Logan had to admit, that was the strangest thing he had done in a long time. After that, the duo decided to go to the local bookstore to read fun stories and adventurous books. Skylar had first pulled out a book about Logan's mother, Sparrow, and together they read out loud on the ground on their bellies about how the Hero Queen had annihilated the beasts of the long forgotten Crucible. They both grew tired of reading out loud and were a bit thirsty so Skylar took the King to a bar, The Cock in the Crown to be specific. Skylar had lightened the awkward mood in the bar and decided to grace everyone with a few songs and tunes. Logan was definitely surprised, he didn't know she had such a strong voice.

After the fun in the Pub, Skylar had continuously peeked a glance to happily find that King Logan indeed had a bright grin across his stern features. She was glad for that, so glad…the plan had been working! Skylar decided that she wanted to draw a mural on a big empty wall in the Market, so she handed Logan different colors of pastels and after deep contemplating, they decided that they wanted to draw a huge detailed crown on the wall. Logan didn't have any skill with art so he learned quite a lot from Skylar…he was..absolutely amazed by her. She knew so much! Skylar found so many ways to enjoy the little things in life, to his surprise, he was having so much fun! It felt good to kick the throne out of the way and just be a normal guy for once. What was even better was that he was being a normal guy in front of a normal girl that he kind of fancied. Logan was confused, he didn't exactly know how to feel about her, he just did. After that, Skylar dragged the amused Logan along to stand in front of a mini shooting range. Their object was to shoot the empty wine bottles as fast as you could before time ran out, and if you shot a certain amount, you would win a prize. Skylar had her eyes on a beautiful necklace with a pearl dangling on it, but after many rounds of utter failure, she gave up with a childish pout. Logan cleared his throat and decided that he wanted to try, he's always been good with a gun and a sword and he was trained with one too, thanks to Walter. Quickly, he had earned himself the pearl necklace.

Logan faced Skylar and looked up at the sort of dark sky, was it going to rain? Now? Out of any other time, now? He shook his head and then grinned shyly at the surprised Skylar. "You wanted it..so, so I thought I would try." Skylar's cheeked flustered up and he chuckled lightly, he had learned so much about her…he had so much fun. "Thank you, Logan." Logan gently walked up to her and pursed his lips in a thin line, "No, thank you. It's the least I can do." Skylar nodded and her bright green eyes screamed out laughter and happiness, he twirled his finger around in a circle and she flustered up again but obeyed, she turned around and moved her hair out of he way as Logan gently fastened the pearl necklace around her thin neck. Logan awkwardly cleared his throat and stared down at her, "It suits you." Skylar giggled girlishly and nodded contently, "If you say so." Before he could answer, the rain came dribbling down on the two, he gritted his teeth and cursed the rain out in his head, 'Really, why Avo?' To his surprise, he didn't find the bubbly girl next to him under the safety of a cover. He found her out there soaking in the rain, kicking at the puddles that were forming on the pebbly path. She turned to stare at him and then shook her head, "The King? Afraid of a little water? What nonsense!" Logan narrowed his eyes at her, he took that as a challenge and strode out into the open rain. They were both drenched in a matter of seconds..that's how much rain was pouring down on the two. "L-o-g-a-n!" He turned around only to be splattered by a bunch of rain kicked at by Skylar herself. She let out a loud laugh and watched him slowly wipe at his face with frustration.

An evil smirk found it's face across his features and he was losing the challenge wasn't he? "Two can play at that game!" He yelled out and kicked at a puddle that waterfalled all over Skylar's body, she shrieked out and then put her hands up in a sort of surrendering manner, "Uncle, your Highness! Uncle!" He chuckled at her silliness and then just stood there with his arms folded across his chest, he watched her twirl around in the rain, sticking her tongue out to catch the water droplets. Her hair was plastered to her body as well as her now drenched dress, the same went for him. He wondered what his subjects would think to find the King coming home soaked to the bone in royal regalia. Logan was getting distracted, a lot. He couldn't help his self anymore. He slowly walked up to her and nodded as she gently bumped into him, a rain drop stubbornly held it's self onto one of her dark lashes. Then they just stared, they both stared at each other. Curiously thinking about what the other was thinking at the moment. She seemed to have stared at him with what seemed like longing in her eyes, was she inviting him? Logan leaned down until their noses barely touched, she closed her eyes and sighed deeply. The sweet smell of her breath swooned him, "You're a different kind of girl, Skylar." He saw the slight shake of her shoulders and he knew she was giggling, then she opened her bright green eyes and stared into his gray ones, "I get that quite a lot. But…it feels better when you say it." Logan cocked his head to the side, he wanted to try something. His hand swept over her face, and she obediently closed her eyes and awaited his next move. Then he stared down at her face.

Skylar's cheeks were probably flaring up again, she could feel the heat. It almost felt like it was scorching her. But…he was so close, their noses almost touched. A strange shiver ran down her spine as he gently swiped his hand down her face, she shut her eyes and swallowed the knot in her throat that threatened to constrict her. Skylar cocked her eyebrows, he was now gently caressing his hands through her hair, pulling strands of it from her face, then she opened her eyes briefly to find him leaning in towards them, she closed her orbs yet again and felt him gently kiss her left eye. Then he kissed the other, she really couldn't believe this was happening to her…it wasn't a dream. It was too real, she saw it, she felt it, and she was in it. His hand went to rest at the side of her face, and then he gently tilted her head up. She slightly rose on her toes and soon their lips touched as the rain around them dribbled down from the heavens. Logan couldn't help but think that maybe Avo himself had set this up.

~OOO~

Logan watched as Skylar had herself stretched out on the long sofa in the study with a book literally in her face. Her eyes scanned the pages slowly as she took her time to soak in the story, he grinned only slightly, it was that story about his mother and the Crucible. Logan walked away from his own book from across the room and strode around the sofa until he was staring down at her head which was covered up by the book. He heard her gently snicker, then she lowered the book and raised her eyebrows up…that usual spark of laughter in her eyes. Both of them had made it back to the castle soaking wet and holding hands, now it was hours later and well into the night and they were clean and freshly clothed. "Yes, Logan?" Logan leaned over her and studied her face, she had amusement written all over her face. "You know, it's not polite to stare." Logan silently snickered and then pulled the book away from her hands to see what page she had been on, she was quite engrossed in the story, "I wasn't staring, I was admiring and contemplating." Skylar smirked and then sat up, toying with her hair a bit and decided to mimic his voice which sounded absolutely ridiculous, "Oh dear, I'm sorry, your Highness." He stared down at her with a stern glare and then decided to plop down next to her, he looked at her, she was toying with the bejeweled ring on her index finger. He wondered where it was from because whenever he saw her, she always had it on. Logan cocked his head to the side and tapped her shoulder to get her attention, "Tell me your story." Her face jerked towards his and she gave him a sad smile,

"You really want to know?"

"Yes."

"Really, really?"

"Really, really."

"Say please, Logan."

"Skylar."

"Alright…here goes nothing.."

~OOO~

**A/N: Boy! That was fast wasn't it?! You know what I was thinking? I was thinking that Logan deserved a sweetheart too! And an outgoing and teasing person, it would balance out his seriousness and teach him how to have fun once and a while right? So…tell me, what do you think about Skylar? I'm holding a special place for her, she's pretty significant in this story. Anyway, review and follow to your heart's content and know this, I love you guys! And you know the usual Disclaimer. Can't wait for the next chapter! Tatty bye! P.S. The dream that Skylar was having in the beginning, I tried to italicize that but the stupid text edit thing wouldn't let me! Nor would it like me bolden anything! GAH!*


	15. Chapter 15

**Nightingale**

**Chapter 15: Hard times**

**"Comfort and prosperity have never enriched the world as much as adversity has."**

**-Billy Graham**

**~OOO~**

Skylar sucked in a deep breath before pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. She could feel Logan's gray orbs boring through her frame, he was waiting. She nodded and then began, "Well. Let's see. Hmm. I had a wonderful childhood. Why don't we start with the happy times. My parents were always holding us, teasing us, playing with my sister and I. My sister and I would always run around the Market playing tag with the other kids, we would play with dolls. The boys would chase us around…" a giggle escaped from her lips and she looked back at Logan to find him slightly smiling. Then she peeked at him again and nudged him with her shoulder, "I met you when we were young you know." That had definitely snapped Logan's attention, he looked astonished definitely, she snickered and put a hand over her mouth. "How in the world? When?" Skylar opened her mouth to argue but ended up laughing, she faced her body towards him and gently smacked his shoulder. If any servant were to see that move, they probably would've thrown a fit. "What you ask?! Remember that day in the Market when your family was outside strolling through?" Logan narrowed his eyes at her and sighed, "We went outside a lot back then, Skylar." Skylar pouted and then stuck her tongue out at him, "I know that! But there was a specific day, the jesters were in town then…performing tricks and you, your mother, your father and your sister were in the Market when my mother had taken me and my sister to go shopping. I was running around with my sister around the pie stalls, I was running away from her when I bumped into you." Logan's eyes widened and he pointed a finger, "Ah. That was you?! That couldn't have been you, you apologized and then I bowed and you ran behind your mother for protection…for what exactly, I had no clue. That girl was shy, there is no way that that was you." Skylar pouted childishly this time and crossed her arms across her chest and huffed, "That was me! Silly King. You do know that people change over time!" Logan smirked a bit and then tried not to scoff at her over reaction, the blood was rushing to her cheeks again and she had that bright spark in her eyes. "I know, I know. I was just joking with you. Anyways, back to your story."

"I can't believe that you forgot…"

"Well, I couldn't help it! I was what…10 years old!

"Well, I was 6 years old! I still remember!"

"…"

"So…your, 24 years old now?"

"Yes, and... your 20 years old?"

"Oh! Logan, I'm so proud of you!"

"How did…we even get so side tracked?"

"Ok, ok, sorry. Back to the story."

All that could be heard from the study was Skylar's loud laughter and Logan's silent chuckling, they weren't arguing, but contemplating and laughing at each other. "Anyways, well. A few months later, things..things started to get tough on us. We weren't working long enough to earn enough money for all of us. And, all of us worked. Mother, Father, me and little sis. It was dangerous for both of us, for she was only 5 years old and I was 6 years old…but we knew that if we didn't take some responsibility and work together as a family, we would probably end up on the streets…we moved away from the Market. Into Bowerstone Industrial. There we found an old house and used scraps and little trinkets to renew it…it looked truly fantastic after all the renovations. Despite the hard times in Industrial, we still stuck together as a family…my sister and I didn't work in the factories…instead, we did the things that kids were only allowed to do, nothing too dangerous. For the law had restrictions on kids working in factories." Logan clenched his jaw, he knew where this was going. "Year after year after year, things got…worse. Eventually, when I had turned 10 years old, my Father began coming home drunk..he would always be in a bad mood when he saw us kids. Father blamed us for not working hard enough…he…he would beat us with his belt. It would always leave scars." Then she looked down at the ground and moved her sleeve up to show Logan her scarred arm. Logan stared down at her with a bewildered expression, 'How dare he? How dare HE?' He knew that he had to keep his cool, instead, he just clenched his fist and stared back at her. Sooner or later..he probably wouldn't be able to look at her.

"Mother always tried her best to protect us…she would take beatings in order to protect us. It progressively got worse after that….I-I…it's still etched into my mind. The pain. It's like I can still feel it…I had saved my sister from my Father one time. He was extremely angry with us, though I still couldn't understand why. The money we earned from work, he would end up using it for his booze. He had a searing piece of iron in his hand and he was going to beat my sister with it when I got in the way and ended up with horrible, horrible burns on my back. My Mother took me to my room after that and had to carefully take the clothing that was burned to my skin….I-I can't.." Logan out of instinct pulled her into his embrace and began to hush her as the tears came sliding down her face. "No..no, hush. You don't have to go any further." Skylar looked up at him and the grief on her face was like a blow in the gut to Logan. "N-no. I want to blow off steam, it'll make me at peace." Logan cleared his throat but sternly nodded his head while she leaned her head on his chest. The soft beating of his heart soothed Skylar and she continued on. "After that accident, my Father sometimes wouldn't come back for days, one time I even heard him talking about selling something. Something valuable…I was suspicious. I wanted to know more, but I didn't pry any deeper." Skylar sucked in a deep breath and shuddered, "I was currently 16 years old when I thought that my life had ended, everything I loved was taken from me." Logan jerked his head down, 'That was around the time that…Mother died.' Logan heard her hiccup and gently rubbed her arm, "We were all asleep in the room together, Father had been out for a few days now and we just had each other for comfort. When suddenly, the door was ripped off it's hinges and someone began to drag my Mother by the hair, she was trying to tell us to run away. But..it was mass confusion, we didn't know what was happening, but out of instinct, my sister and I ran after my Mother who was being dragged out of the house when suddenly someone threw me over their shoulder and began carrying me off too. I fought and fought, but it didn't seem to work. My little sister was being dragged away to a carriage…I-I can't remember…the last thing I saw was a strange 'R' symbol." Logan clenched his jaw once again, he had just began ruling at the time that this was going on…why wasn't he notified when this happened? Where was he when this was happening to Skylar? He swallowed the knot in his throat and whispered out, "Reaver." Skylar looked up at him and nodded, "Yes, I suppose. I was then thrown into a carriage with my Mother and we started our new lives as slaves….I-I don't think I can go on….not now..no." Logan rubbed her arm again and nodded, "Don't pressure yourself. It's ok." Suddenly Skylar snapped up and stared Logan right in the eyes, they were filled with excitement and hysteria. "Reaver you say?! I-If she was taken by Reaver. Then..I-I'm going to go to that mansion and ask."

Logan bit his lip and looked down at her pearl necklace, he wanted her no where near that sneaky snake…Reaver. As if she read his mind, she gently tightened her grip on his arm, "Please, Logan! I must find out." Logan hissed and then turned his head away from her, "I..I don't want you near that man." Skylar sighed deeply, then she gently used her index finger to turn his head towards her again, a soft smile spread across her lips. "Nothing will happen, Logan. C-come with me." Logan looked at her sternly for a few seconds but then sighed and wrapped his hands around her wrists, then he nodded his head and held her close, "Alright. That seems reasonable. But we'll go when I don't have a busy schedule. Deal?" Skylar smiled and kissed his pale cheek, "Deal!"

"Skylar..?"

"Hmm?"

"What was the name of your sister?"

"Elizabeth."

**~OOO~**

Lizzie wanted to claw at her body, it was burning! It was hurting, she felt feverish and sticky with sweat. Lizzie couldn't stand it anymore..she had to get out of here, she felt like she could rip a person in two. Staggering to get up, she sloppily headed out the back entrance of the sewers…near a little forest, she didn't want to be around people. The agonizing pain was too much to bare, she felt like all her bones would pop in two. Her breathing was labored and she pulled up the sleeve of her nightgown and stared down at the bite marks of the Balverine that had bitten her there. It was swollen and pulsing, and not to mention extremely pink from infection and the burning. She screamed out there, in the middle of the forest. What was happening to her, could the stories be true? Do you transform into a Balverine at night by being bitten by one? No..no, no, no, she didn't want to be a Balverine! What if she hurt someone, what would she do then?! Lizzie collapsed on the ground and curled up into a tight ball, she couldn't even welcome the pain, the moonlight casted an eerie glow around her and she screamed out to her heart's content as she felt her body beginning to readjust it's self. It was strange, the bite mark didn't react during the day..but this was the first time it reacted during the night.

Nightingale pulled a blanket around her as she stealthily followed after Lizzie, she had a bad feeling about this…it didn't look so good. Where could she be going, and in the middle of the night? Nightingale had grabbed her sword and pistol, not to hurt Lizzie if anything happened, but just in case. 2 days ago, they were all discussing what it could possibly mean to be bitten by a Balverine at the Headquarters…they had come home from that Masquerade in a heap of a mess, a big bloody one too. They were all stitched up and clean now thanks to the scar disappearing cream…but the bite marks on Lizzie's arm did not disappear, they tried different types of herbs and medicines. Nothing seemed to work out. The screams were growing closer and she knew that Lizzie would be just ahead. Nightingale wondered what would happen, she was worried. She crouched down by a bush and stared gravely at the scene ahead of her, Lizzie was beginning to claw at the ground…she was growing taller and her nails were growing longer. A red mist surrounded itself around Lizzie…strange blood curdling cracks could be heard as Lizzie's body bended in strange ways. Nightingale jerked her head away and bit her lip, it was painful for her to see her best friend in such a state….no something had to be done. She would help Lizzie no matter what, even if she tried to kill Nightingale. A little tiny shuffling could be heard behind her and before she could turn around, a hand clamped over her mouth and she was jerked back. A muffled curse escaped her lips and she turned to see the devilishly handsome solider, Ben, grinning stupidly at her.

Nightingale glowered at Ben and after what seemed like forever of holding her in this position, she licked his hand and he jerked back, wiping it over his tunic. He whispered out in disgust, "Ahh! Gross, Night!" Nightingale rolled her eyes and gave him a 'I warned you' look, "Well, you shouldn't have done that…now hush. I didn't know Follow the Leader was getting popular." She smirked at Ben's silent chuckle and then stared sternly at the scene ahead of them. Ben hissed uncomfortably, was he about to get up?! Nightingale pulled his arm back down and hissed, "Are you crazy?! What-" Ben kneeled down again and pursed his lips, narrowing his icy blue eyes at the transformation of Lizzie. "That's Lizzie…isn't it. I can't stand it. I..I should have been there to protect her." Nightingale pulled him down so that they both were on their bellies, hidden by the bush. "Ben. Lizzie had told you for the 100th time, things happen. She'll be alright. She said it was ok, this is not your fault." Ben glared at Nightingale and then bit down on his thumb, "She sure doesn't look alright to me. What do we do?" She shook her head and sighed with dread, "I-I don-" They were cut off for Ben had stared down at his hand with disgust, on his hand…a trail of a slimy substance dripped on it. Their faces went pale and Ben whispered to Nightingale, "She's right above us…isn't she..?" Nightingale didn't want to look up, but she couldn't help it…her fingers wrapped around her pistol slowly and she nearly lost her breath upon seeing the Balverine that was Lizzie. Her eyes glowed a bright yellow and the tips of fur that was spiked in the back pulsed and swayed as she angrily stared down at the two. Hungry for meat and blood. "Yup.."

Suddenly Balverine Lizzie screamed out on the top of her lungs, the screech was eerie and metallic, it made Nightingale wanted to claw at something. That was there signal to get a move on, she was most likely going to start swiping at them..personally, Nightingale was sick and tired of these Balverines. They were no easy opponents, that was for sure…dread crossed her mind as both Ben and Nightingale rolled out of the way and skidded into the clearing that Lizzie had transformed on. Ben held out his sword and Nightingale pulled up her pistol. She glanced at Ben only for a second to see that he had a pained look on his face, she knew this was hard for him. Imagine what Lizzie was feeling right now, newly born and unable to control herself. It was like a parasite, telling her what to do…forcing her. Nightingale will end this, she would indeed. A determined glare crossed her features and she began whispering gently to Ben, "Ok. We have to try get Lizzie under control, from experience…Balverines aren't as dumb as I hoped they were..they are actually smart. Balverines can easily blend into the human society by shape shifting and human speech. Lizzie can surely do the same…but since she's just newly born, it'll be hard for her with all the flesh and blood carvings. She probably can't recognize us right this moment. And we can't hurt her. She'll probably return to her normal self when the sun rises once more." Ben nodded, he sucked in a deep breath and sighed deeply, very irritated. "Alright. Yes, I've dealt with Balverines before too. We have to be careful though, we don't want anyone else turning into a Balverine. Especially not at midnight, and it is almost midnight."

Nightingale snapped her attention back just in time to see Balverine Lizzie charging at them head on, her hind legs gave her the speed she needed to hunt prey easily and efficiently, they rolled out of the way and Nightingale knitted her brows in confusion all the while last minute dodging Lizzie's attacks. 'Oh Avo! She's so fast!' Ben ducked and then knocked Lizzie's legs out from under her sending her down with a loud, 'thud.' Ben skidded over to Nightingale's side and they held their weapons up defensively, Ben wiped the sweat of his forehead with his sleeve and began muttering to Nightingale, "She's reckless. I can't say that I can blame her, again, she's new at this. Lizzie probably finds it strange that she can move that fast." Nightingale nodded and watched as Balverine Lizzie stood back up, hissing sinisterly at them. She was clearly mad. The fur that stood up on her back pulsed and shuddered and the way she twiddled her long, long claws was clear enough, what more evidence was there…other than that hissing and growling and the narrowing of those yellow eyes. Nightingale didn't find it coming that fast, but it came. Balverine Lizzie seemed to have flied through the air for the next thing you know, she was holding Nightingale down by the claws, digging them in through her shoulders, sending Nightingale grimacing and wincing. Balverine Lizzie hissed loudly and craned her neck up before sending it down again, chomping her claws down at her face, Nightingale hissed and struggled to keep her bite away…she had her fingers tightly around Lizzie's neck and was holding her back. 'She's getting the hang of it, if I don't think of anything, she'll actually rip off my face!' Nightingale searched around the floor of the clearing…looking for anything, something to get Lizzie off of her, her eyes widened upon seeing a huge rock an arm's length away, she didn't want to hurt Lizzie. Nightingale grunted and winced, she tried scooting around all the while holding the chomping Lizzie away with one hand. Finally she grasped the heavy rock and sent it slamming right at Lizzie's jaw. There was a horrible crack and the Balverine Lizzie screamed out and jumped off of her and landed up on a tree limb, leaning on her muscle packed hind legs.

Ben kneeled down next to Nightingale and pulled her up, "Are you ok?"

"Does it look like I'm ok, Ben?!"

"No..no not exactly."

"Then I'm obviously not ok!"

"Alright, don't get your undies twisted in a knot!"

"Say, Ben…what did you mean by midnight?"

"Yes, well…" He dodged an attack from Balverine Lizzie. "What I actually meant by that is, if you are bitten by a Balverine at midnight during a Full moon, then you would transform into the strongest and most sophisticated Balverine of them all."

"Enough suspense, Ben! What's that kind of Balverine called?"

"A White Balverine. Dangerous things, never seen one in my life. Don't plan to either."

"W-well, it's a good thing Lizzie isn't one. Right?" Balverine Lizzie came jumping at her only to miss at the last second, Lizzie's claws sunk into a tree trunk, causing her to struggle uncontrollably and angrily.

"Well, yes, that is good. But I think Lizzie maybe referred as a 'Blooded' Balverine. Due to their strange dark red-brick color and extreme agility and strength. They are just under the White Balverines and will tend to substitute themselves in the place for a fallen comrade. And they come in packs of 3-4 Balverines."

Nightingale narrowed her gray orbs at the troubled Balverine Lizzie and nodded, examining her while she had the chance…the description fit, and Balverine Lizzie was fast and tough, but they still couldn't jump to conclusions. Now that she thought about it, the Balverines that had been at Reaver's mansion also fit the description. 'Hmm..' The Balverine Lizzie clawed at the bark all the while glaring daggers at the two humans that she just couldn't rip apart, it agitated her and she just fumed more and more. All she wanted to do was sink her claws into the two and she wanted to chew through their flesh bit by bit. It was like Lizzie was having an inner battle with herself, she couldn't control the Balverine that had overtaken her figure and pulled her around, it was hurting her friends…and if she didn't figure something out, it would hurt others too. It was like Lizzie was banging into random walls and pleading for help, only, no one could hear her. Balverine Lizzie ripped through the bark, causing the splinters to fly everywhere and hunched her legs, she literally flew through the air and knocked Nightingale to the ground, she was ready to kill her prey then and there.

Ben's eyes widened but he narrowed those icy blues and stealthy ran at Balverine Lizzie who currently had the upper hand on Nightingale. He didn't want to hurt her, but he had to. Ben raised his sword, gathering strength and momentum and then swiped the cutlass across Balverine Lizzie's arm, it had been raised to tear at Nightingale but now she screamed out and hissed defensively at Ben. He growled and bared his teeth. Balverine Lizzie screamed in Ben's face before bounding off into the night, Avo knows where too. Nightingale carefully sat up and raised a hand, "LIZZIE!" But she was long gone. Nightingale winced and put her arm down, Lizzie's claws had given her hole like wounds on both of her shoulders, it was a good thing that they weren't too deep, but they still hurt. If she didn't get the wounds treated, they would probably start getting inflamed. Ben reached down and gently pulled Nightingale up. "Oh, Ben. What do we do?! Avo knows where she went!" Ben patted her back and they both started walking back to the Headquarters, "She'll shift back to normal when the sun rises. I don't think she went to far, she'll come back when she's received her senses. For now, we have to get those wounds treated…and, we're going to have to talk to Walter and everyone about finding a cure." Nightingale stubbornly shook her head and then finally gave into Ben's stern gaze, "Fine."

**~OOO~**

They circled around Lizzie as she staggered back into the Headquarters with only a sheet to cover her naked body. She collapsed in Ben's arms and her breathing had been labored. Nightingale looked worriedly at Ben and he nodded, "Don't worry, she'll be alright." Nightingale nodded, a bit unconvinced and stared at Lizzie who returned the gaze with a weary smile, "How do you feel, Lizzie?" Lizzie shook her head and coughed a bit, she wasn't feverish or anything…just really, really tired. "I'm just very sore. Who knew being a Balverine could be so tough." A few chuckles echoed throughout the room but the tense air soon returned into everyone's minds. Walter shook his head gravely and muttered, "Balls. She's going to need some rest. But it'll be dangerous for her to be down here…with her changing whenever the moon sets. Someone could get hurt, don't get me wrong Lizzie." Lizzie shook her head and patted Ben's arm to reassure him and then smiled at Walter, "None taken, Walter. I agree with you. What should we do? I need a cure, I can't go on living like this. I was helplessly watching as my Balverine self attacked Nightingale and Ben…I have no control." Nightingale kneeled down next to Lizzie and gently held her hand, "Damn that Reaver and his stupid secret society nonsense. I just want to grab his head and throw him against a cement wall…several times." Lizzie let out a girlish giggle and patted Nightingale's arm, "It's nice to see that you still have your fire in this situation, Night. We'll need it." Nightingale stared gravely down at Lizzie before looking at Page, Walter, Ben, and a few other rebels and Major Swift's brigade. "What can we do..? Ben, you seem to have experience with Balverines…do they have any weaknesses?" Ben looked down at Lizzie and played with a few strands of her curly blonde hair before resuming his gaze at her aquamarine eyes. "Give me a second to think."

Ben searched through his mind, indeed he had experience with Balverines…he was glad too. If he didn't know anything about Balverines, and Lizzie was in this very situation, what would they have done? Would they have asked around like fools..? Only to rise suspicion amongst the people of Industrial and it's guards? His face turned bright red from anger and frustration, a light laugh escaped Lizzie and she rested her hand on the side of his face, "Don't strain yourself. We-" Ben jerked his head up and stared at everyone all around them, "I've got it! Balverines are weak against Silver!" It seemed as though the weight of burden and anxiety rose off the group's chests and they eagerly leaned in towards Ben. He looked up at Nightingale and she narrowed her eyes thoughtfully while looking at Walter, "Alright. They're weak around Silver. But…where are we going to get some? I've never heard of pure Silver around here." Walter growled and paced back and forth before beckoning Page, Ben, Lizzie and Nightingale herself to the map table of Albion. "Alright. I think I remember. If I'm correct, there are numerous amounts of Balverines located in a region called the Silverpines." Page looked down at the map table and then impatiently up at Walter again, "So? What of it?" Walter rubbed his grizzly beard and looked at Nightingale, "I've heard that a village in the Silverpines has Silver nitrate torches to ward off Balverines. If we can reach that village, then maybe they'd be generous enough to donate a few drops of pure Silver." Nightingale's eyes sparked with fire and determination and that sent a soft grin across Walter face, that was exactly what he was looking for. "Alright. When do I get going?" Ben raised a hand and smirked at her, "Woah there, not so fast. I'm going too." Nightingale nodded and looked at Walter and the group for confirmation. Walter sighed deeply, he was irritated, he didn't want Nightingale to get hurt…he's seen too much of that. Maybe he was wrong in the beginning to think that Nightingale would break down from all the anxiety and hassle..she was still standing strong, just like her Mother. He was proud. "Oh, Alright! I'm warning you though, Benjamin Finn. If she doesn't come back safely, I'll have your head on a plaque." Ben chuckled softly and patted Walter on the back, "Alright you old geezer. Nothing is going to happen to Night. I promise."

**~OOO~**

Ben locked the cage door and stared sadly at Lizzie who was smiling gently at him. He didn't want her to be in there, she didn't deserve what happened to her. "I-I'm so sorry.." Lizzie stood up and wrapped a hand around a metal bar and squeezed the other hand through so that it rested against his face, "What ever for. There's nothing to be sorry about…what happened, happened." Ben glared down at the ground before staring at her with a determined look, "I swear..that Reaver. I'm going to kill him!" Lizzie sighed deeply and then tried to squeeze her lips through the metal bars to give him a kiss on the cheek but..well, it wasn't working. Thank god Ben hadn't seen her failed attempt, her cheeks flustered up and she cleared her throat, "Um..Ben. Could you lean a bit closer?" Ben raised an eyebrow and then leaned his head against the cage, she leaned in too and managed to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Be careful out there..I don't want to see you hurt. Take care of Night in my place, make sure she's ok. A-and..and if she looks like she's over exerting herself, give her a breather." Ben nodded contently and raced her hand carefully so that he could kiss it. "Just hold on until I get back, don't let it control you. I know your strong enough to hold it at bay." Lizzie nodded and Walter came up to Ben with a bucket of searing melted Silver liquid. "This is all the Silver we could get, and these are all broken down swords. Do you think it'll be enough?" Ben stared down at the bucket and nodded, "It should be fine. Hand it over." Slowly Ben stared at Lizzie as he carefully coated the Silver on the cage bars..it should keep Balverine Lizzie inside. Nightingale slowly walked up to the cage and held her hand out, Lizzie clasped her hand in Nightingale's and they shook them, "Be careful." Nightingale nodded and smiled, "I always spring back." Then she turned to Ben and handed him a pack of supplies, "Ready?" He nodded confidently and they headed out towards the back sewers, "Ready." It would take a few days to get to the Silverpines since they were going by foot…but they would eventually make it, and nothing was going to stop them. Not even a pack of lowly Balverines.


	16. Chapter 16

**Nightingale**

**Chapter 16: Sidetracked on the way to the Silverpines**

**"I get irritated, nervous, very tense or stressed, but never bored."**

**-Catherine Deneuve**

**~OOO~**

Logan paced back and forth in the War Room, he had the need to throw something across the room. He couldn't believe it, but then again, had he really been foolish enough to believe that Reaver wouldn't be tugging on his strings? That cad pushed his luck and now that Logan found out, there was no way he would let him be. Reaver had been hiding the fact that he almost got his Sister killed, he had been behaving irresponsibly with his Sister…and Avo knows what other things he has done! Oh, no, he wouldn't let him be. He was going to execute his sorry hide indeed. Why hadn't he done it before? Was he really so sucked into this Albion business that he didn't realize it was about to time punish Reaver? It was true that Reaver had his own despicable way of earning cold hard cash, it helped with building up the treasury…but was he really worth the shame? No..no, it was decided. Logan was going to sent a troop of his guards to retrieve Reaver, there was no where he could run now, he was Wanted…there were posters being hung up now as he thought angrily to himself. A knock on the door snapped him out of his intense trance and he growled, irritated. "I am in no mood to speak to you, Albert." Albert was his new personal butler. There was a slightly chattering of a teapot bumping up against it's teacups and then there was loud slamming against the door, "What do you mean by NOT IN THE MOOD? Open this door immediately, have you gone daft, Logan?!" Logan literally jumped after realizing that it was not Albert who had been knocking on his door, it was Skylar…the woman that he was sure he was in love with. "Coming." He strode over to the huge double doors and unlocked them, opening them up widely, there stood Skylar with a tea tray balanced on her head while she held a medium sized jug of milk and a small pot of sugar in both hands. His eyes widened.

"OH DEAR AVO! Are you crazy?! You'll hurt yourself!" He grabbed the tea tray off of her head and then set it down on the coffee table that was in the middle of 4 couches.

"Well..I couldn't find any other way to carry it up here!"

"You could have gotten help!"

"…oh hush, you're being overdramatic."

"Right, and the other 10 billion times that you dropped something was not being overdramatic?!"

"Alright Mister, sit down already." She pushed him down into an armchair while sitting herself down across from him.

Skylar stood up and kneeled down so that she was level with the coffee table and began to pour in some tea, then she grabbed the jug of milk and poured that in and then began to mix the contents together creating a pretty color of tea. She grabbed another spoon and set the lid of the sugar pot down and looked up at Logan, she raised her eyebrows with a bored expression for there he went, thinking too hard on something. "How much sugar?" Logan shifted his eyes down at her and then rested his head on his knuckles, "1 spoon, please." Skylar nodded and mixed the sugar in, then she stood up carefully and headed him the teacup while putting a hand on his shoulder. Logan still swooned whenever he saw her, he was never stable around her…and Skylar always teased him about that too. But he knew Skylar grew shy when she was around the Nobles and they were together arm to arm or hand in hand. The Nobles had once gotten curious of Skylar's relationship to the King and one of them had decided to bother Skylar about it. Skylar was currently alone, holding the healing Roger. She in response to the Noble truthfully told that they had a romantic interest for each other. One by one, the Nobles had piled around her and muttered offensive things at her and a few women had tugged on her hair and dress, claiming that she was shamefully dressed. Truthfully, Skylar didn't think that she was dressed that badly, her dresses usually stopped a little above her ankles and were tight around the waist…but that was due to her corset. People claimed that she wore girl's dresses, Skylar was nearly on the verge of tears when a gentle hand twined itself with her's, she looked up to find King Logan sternly glaring out at the Nobles. "We do indeed fancy each other, if anyone has any objections…speak up now." But no one did, they all backed away and went back to what they usually did around the castle gardens…flaunted themselves silly. Logan had carefully tugged her back inside the castle.

Skylar snapped out of her trance and sipped on her tea, peeking a glance at Logan to find him examining her face, then he sighed and set the teacup down, massaging his temples. "I can't believe I fell for that." Skylar rested the teacup on it's saucer and put it down on the coffee table before pulling her legs up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs, "If your talking about what Reaver has been doing. Well, he is Reaver…" she sent him a silly smile when he glowered at her. She turned her head to gaze out of the window, soon the early morning sun was beginning to blind her, she turned her head away and rested it on her knee caps, "I can't believe they didn't know where Elizabeth went." Logan looked up from his tea and work papers and sighed deeply, he did not like seeing Skylar upset. He put them down and walked over to her, sitting down next to her. "I'm sure you'll find her. I'll help you…but if you grow upset, it'll only make it worse." Skylar looked up at his slightly smiling figure and then nodded, then after a few seconds of silence, she picked up her teacup and looked at him with a devilish smirk.

"How bout we play tea party..you can be Mr. Sterns-a-lot and I'll be Twiddle-two-shoes!"

"I don't even know how to respond to that…"

"What say you..? My King?"

"I have a better idea."

"Hmm? And what's that..?"

"Why don't you lean closer?"

"I do quite like that better, nice thinking Logan."

"Just come here."

Skylar laughed before leaning her body against his chest and twining a hand through his, they softly murmured to each other and held each other close.

"I'm thinking of throwing an engagement party, what do you think, Skylar?"

"…"

"Skylar?"

"I'm going to have to find a new dream."

"What do you mean by that..?"

"Because my original dream was to fall in love with the King."

A small chuckle escaped Logan before he tilted her chin up towards his.

**~OOO~**

Nightingale shook her head in disbelief, this was definitely not happening to her. NO WAY. She snatched the Wanted poster of herself from Ben's hands and stared down at it reading it to herself, "Oh, no, no, no. He's put money on my head?! This is so bad! I can't believe I'm.." Ben ripped his own poster from the deserted alleyway wall in Industrial, he shook his head down at his poster and then stared at hers. "I know right! Look at how great you look! My sketch doesn't look nearly as intricate as yours! And you got money on your head, I've got instant death!" Ben smiled with a silly grin on his face down at Nightingale and she narrowed her eyes at him before grabbing his Wanted poster and stuffing both of them in a pocket in her pack. "Shut up, Ben. And come on…we don't want to waste too much time. We should find a carriage, that should take us to the Millfields?" Ben sternly nodded and pulled out a map of Albion, "You're right, it's faster to the Silverpines from the Millfields. Come on, I'll find us a carriage, and fix that hood of yours, it'd be bad if someone recognized you. Especially with all that money on your head." They nodded content with the plan and Nightingale fastened the dark grey hood tighter against her body and put the hood over her head, casting a shadow on her face.

Ben strode alertly next to Nightingale's side, if someone recognized them, they both wanted to be ready to make a run for it. They stopped in front of an empty carriage and Ben stared up at the couch driver, "Can you take us to the Millfields…and fast." The couch driver was contemplating and then jumped down and opened up the carriage door, helping Nightingale in. "Ya…ya. It'll cost ye extra thou…for pushin me horses aroun like that." Ben glowered at the couch driver and handed him a few gold coins before hopping in across from Nightingale and shaking his head. "That old cheapskate. He should've known what was better for him. I should've intimidated him." Nightingale giggled and smacked his knee, "Yes, then he'd surely call the guards and we'd be without a carriage." Ben sighed and nonchalantly nodded his head, he knew she was right. They looked out of the window, glad to be out of Bowerstone Industrial.

"Can you go faster?" Ben tapped the roof of the carriage and looked out of the window, it was early in the afternoon and they were almost there. "Do ye hav gold on ye?" Ben looked at Nightingale and she stifled a laugh, "Do you want to lose that last tooth of yours?" That must have done it for the carriage quickly jerked forward, Ben raised an eyebrow and looked at Nightingale with a cocky smirk on his face. "You were saying? Now hand it over." Nightingale pouted childishly before tossing a gold coin in the air for Ben to catch.

**~OOO~**

Reaver shuffled through the library, looking for something to read. He was utterly bored and it took his staff forever to clean the mass of bodies that had began to stink…he was glad to be rid of them though. The last time he had seen the Princess, it had been about 3 days ago, all blooded and sickly. He thought that his treacherous Wheel of Misfortune would've ended the life of that little parasite in the Princess's stomach, but she had guarded it like a watch dog, nothing got past her watchful eyes. Reaver paced the room once more and tapped his finger against his chin, he'd have to think of another plan, something much more treacherous and harder to avoid. How much pain and suffering would he have to go through if the little maggot was born? A shiver traveled down his spine and he cleared his throat. Suddenly the whole room shook as a thundering rumble broke out in the main foyer, he shook his head and put a hand up to his temples, "WHAT IN BLAZES WAS THAT?!" A maid came scrambling in, "S-sir, Logan..Logan's guards are invading the mansion. They're looking for you. Y-" The maid screamed out as she was shot in the skull, causing her to slump to the ground in her own blood. Reaver smirked slightly upon seeing a few guards standing by the door. "Alright. Don't make it hard on us, if you go obediently, then maybe the King will lessen your suffering." Reaver's eyes flashed to the book case behind him and he sighed pulling his Dragonstomper .48 up as if he was going to drop it on the floor and surrender. The fools.

Reaver instantly began shooting down the guards one by one, he watched as they quickly deteriorated, he reloaded his gun swiftly and headed towards the bookcase. He counted a few books before pulling a certain one out, the book case groaned out of the way and he stepped through the secret alleyway out the back of the mansion. He knew that the guards would soon starting piling in looking around the mansion. He made sure that the bookcase closed up and swiftly began making his way stealthily through the underground passage. Did those guards have any idea how much money it cost him to get that mansion built? And what of all the trinkets in there? Reaver gritted his teeth and a dark shadow casted in his eyes and he smirked, 'Tut, he's been a naughty King indeed. Shuffling through other people's business.'

**~OOO~**

"Oh! You guards are really useless when no one needs your help and you're even more useless when we DO need your help!"

Nightingale averted her gray eyed gaze towards a woman they were about to pass, her house was near the forest that they needed to enter…through that forest..the Silverpines would merge. She was a Noble, with the powdered wig and strange clothing, Nightingale nudged Ben and he followed her gaze towards the arguing woman and the useless guard. That purple regalia and strange helmet. What were Logan's guards doing here?! Ben grabbed her arm and wildly shook his head, "If he finds out it's you, we'll be dead meat." Nightingale glowered up at him and then pouted, "But she needs help, well, let's at least find out what's happened." Ben grumbled a bit and then sunk back against a fence, "You go ask, I'm watching from here. Be careful." She nodded and then began walking up to the strange fluffy woman. "Oh. Oh miss! You look like an adventurer, can you please help? He's of no use. Why are you still standing here, be off with you." She had glowered at the guard as he swiftly walked away with a grumble, Nightingale smiled at the woman and nodded her head, "Just tell me what happened." The woman nodded swiftly and put a hand up to her cheek, "Oh dear, I had this precious and expensive Balverine statue and someone had stolen it, I couldn't catch him but I saw him going through that forest. I think he might've headed towards the Silverpines." Nightingale nodded and turned her head as Ben walked up next to her, giving her a stern look, telling her to quicken her pace. After a little hesitating, Nightingale nodded and smiled softly at the woman, "Don't worry, we're headed to the Silverpines. We'll get it back for you." The woman rejoiced and hugged Nightingale tightly, they parted and headed towards the grayscale forest ahead of them.

Nightingale turned her head upon hearing a guard shut out, the color drained from her face but she didn't except what she felt, it was Reaver. He slammed right into her, they came crashing down. Nightingale sat up and rubbed her head and looked over to see Reaver pointing his gun in her face, she glowered and pushed the barrel away, "It's me idiot." Ben glared daggers down at the fop and gently pulled Nightingale up. She dusted off her apparel and hood and glowered at Reaver, "Oh! What a pleasant surprise! If it isn't the Princess and her lackey." Ben growled at him and then began to pull Nightingale along when she held her ground and crossed her arms across her chest, "Why the hell were you running, you fool?" Suddenly Reaver pulled her in close, she bumped against him and stared at his eyes that were only a few inches away. Ben clenched his jaw and attempted to literally rip Reaver's arm away from the Princess, but Reaver held him back with one arm with holding Nightingale with the other. "Why, I was in a hurry because I saw you. I couldn't hold back any longer." Nightingale struggled against him and turned her head to see Ben twisting Reaver's wrist, "Let go of her you di-" A scrawny guard was standing in front of them, shivering with his rifle held up. All three slowly turned their heads towards the guard and wondered what he thought of the scene in front of him,

"R-Reaver! You are under arrest by the authority of King Logan!"

"Oh, get off of my case you annoying little mutt."

A shoot could be heard as the guard fell down with a yell.

"Oh..oh. YOU IDIOT! Did you have to shoot him?!"

"Princesse, there's no need to shout, he would've shot us if we didn't."

"I hate to agree with him, Night, but he's right. Come on. We can't hang around any longer."

Nightingale nodded and grabbed Ben's arm and pulled him forward all the while giving Reaver one last look, she whispered to Ben, "If we go through the forest, the guards won't follow. They'll be too scared to do anything about it." Ben nodded and they swiftly began to run until they were sure that they were well into the forest. Suddenly, you could hear yelling from behind them. She turned her head to see Reaver running after them. She facepalmed herself and turned towards Ben with an awkward look, "And he was calling me a lackey. Screw that." She shook her head and turned towards the now exasperated Reaver, who strutted up to her. Nightingale crossed her arms across her chest and glared up at him, "Why are you following us?!" Reaver cleared his throat and bowed deeply. She stepped back, a bit shocked to see the cad even bowing towards her, what was with the sudden respect? "My Queen. I will follow you wherever you go." Out of confusion, she knitted her eyebrows and stared at the scoffing Ben for reassurance. He meekly laughed and then looked back at Nightingale with those icy blues and shook his head while Reaver stood back up glaring daggers at him. "Don't get that mixed up with respect. He's just following you because we're the side that's winning. AND he now has a bounty on his head, what better place to go than the Resistance?"

Nightingale raised an eyebrow and put a hand on her slender hip upon finding out Reaver's true intentions, which honestly, she should've figured out the moment he smacked into her. Her head was starting to hurt, she was thinking too hard, she paced back and forth a bit and then rested her hand on her temple. An exasperated sigh escaped her slightly parted lips, she stared up at Reaver and bit her lip. "Fine. But, if you annoy me. I won't hesitate to shoot you." Ben's head snapped towards hers with bewilderment easily detected on his handsome face, "You're just gonna let him join? Just like that?! After all that's happened?!" Nightingale nodded sternly at Reaver who was smirking and then sighed deeply at Ben, "We need as many followers as possible. The more we have, the stronger we'll get. Even if we hate his guts..and just like you said, he now also has a bounty on his conceited head, WHERE is he going to go?" After some glaring contest from the two men, Ben spit on the ground and finally but painfully agreed, "This doesn't change a thing. I'll kill you when this is all done." Reaver narrowed his sinister looking eyes and mockingly leaned down against his cane, "I'm sorry, but I don't think you realized it. You seem to be messing with a man that can kill you easily in your sleep." Ben growled furiously and accepted the challenge, and spit out the words with such venom and might, it even made Nightingale slightly wince, "Try me." That was about IT.

Nightingale was going to seriously lose her head over these two, this was getting absolutely ridiculous. She was extremely annoyed. Nightingale came in between the two and pushed them a little away from each other, she glared at Reaver, "If you two won't stop arguing I'm going to lose my head. YOU.." she looked at Reaver while saying this through clenched teeth, "I will beat your head against a wall and throw you into a pit of Balverines for my OWN entertainment. And YOU.." then she sharply averted her gaze to Ben, "I will sock you, tie you up, and stuff you in a crate that's off to Samarkand." Reaver stared at her as if her words stabbed right through his black heart, "How does he get the painless punishment?" Nightingale glowered at him and shook her head, "Because Ben is a good friend of mine." After the two were forced to shake hands, they continued their long trek to the Silverpines alongside a new follower.

"I don't think I have the energy to mess with her again.." Ben muttered at Reaver.

"I think I have to agree with you on that one."

**~OOO~**

****A/N: Hey there again! I'm glad to see that everyone is enjoying the story so far! I love all the nice comments about Skylar! But I have to admit, I love her too! Anyway, i felt as though Reaver had been gone to long and guess what? I brought him back and the annoying begins yet again! Please review and follow to your heart's content! Usual Disclaimer, and I love you guys! **

**P.S. I actually googled…yes..I did, I googled people that I think kinda looked like the characters in the story. Now, again, this is MY opinion..I will share them with you because it makes me all happy and jittery! Anyway, you can do the same, I would also love to see your imagination and what you think these characters would look like in real life…or at least who they resemble the most. Anyway, here are my choices: **

**Lucy Hale - Nightingale; Imagine her with darker hair and gray eyes**

**Amanda Seyfried - Lizzie; imagine her with blue green eyes**

**Amy Adams - Angel (the mother of Lizzie and Skylar)**

**Chris Hemsworth - Ben Finn (Ohh ya! ;D)**

**Keke Palmer - Page (I don't know, I can just see it)**

**Ian Somerhalder - Reaver (Yes! I do! Whenever I see this actor, he's always playing the annoying guy XD)**

**Josh Hutcherson - Elliot (i don't know! I just doo!)**

**Tom Hiddleston - Logan (Dude! Look him up as Loki from Thor!)**

**Karen Gillan - Skylar**

**Michelle Yeoh - Kalin**

**A Border Collie - Oreo (well…that's what he is! XD)**

**I couldn't find one for Walter Beck or Sabine or Boulder! Someone HELP! XD**

**Well! Can't wait for the next chapter!****


	17. Chapter 17

**Nightingale**

**Chapter 17: Silverpines Village**

"**On the darkest night, even the light from a distant star is appreciated."**

**-Rev. Darrell W. Boswell**

**~OOO~**

"How much longer, Ben?! My feet are aching!"

"Aw, dear. Would you like me to massage them, Princess..?"

"Ew, no! Get away from me, you freak of nature."

"Guys…" An exasperated sigh came from Ben as he hung his head over a map of Albion.

"Princess. That wasn't very kind..I was trying to be nice."

"Your pushing your luck, twinkle toes. Since this is a Balverine infested area officially, I still have a chance to let them have you, with open arms."

"Nous allons voir à ce sujet, vous parasiter fille infectée."

Nightingale's mouth snapped open and she narrowed her steel gray eyes at the now glaring Reaver, ground her teeth and pointed a finger at his face. Nightingale didn't know much French, but she used to have a tutor when she was younger…the tutor had quit on her because she literally drove him crazy…despite that, she slightly recognized what he had said and responded THAT phrase back to him in French, she didn't want Ben to find out what they were talking about. "Parasite infecté?! Why you…you..you man putain! Who's idiotic forgetfulness caused that to happen?! HUH?"

"ALRIGHT! Shut it, you top hatted freak! Night, come here." Ben yelled with a annoyed look clearly stitched into his face, he narrowed his icy blues and scanned the now darkening sky. They had trekked days and slept nights in trees hoping to avoid Balverines and any other sorts that were sneakily wandering around, Nightingale couldn't help but feel a little bubble headed for coming up with that idea, nonetheless, she gave an annoyed Reaver one last glare before stopping next to Ben and putting a hand on his shoulder. She slightly leaned against him and looked down at the map of Albion and then back up at Ben, they had to make sure that they were marking their footsteps..literally had to mark on the map and also had to keep calculating how much closer they were to the village. She scanned their route and then stared at the star marked area where the village was located, "We're almost there. Almost…if you don't mind. I'll lead again." She looked up at him and smiled brightly despite her tired looking eyes, she just…she just wanted to help. Ben almost glowered at her and nudged her shoulder, "No. You've got to be kidding me, you lead us all through yesterday and early this morning. Look at you, you look like you could just collapse right here." Nightingale flustered up again and sighed deeply, she looked nervously down at the ground and rubbed her arm. She indeed looked tired…Nightingale hadn't been eating enough for two and she hadn't been drinking enough water…which in her case was NOT a good sign. She didn't want to waste all these necessities on herself when she had two other people who needed the strength themselves. Even though it was important to make sure the growing baby inside of her was content, she couldn't raise suspicion among Ben.

Nightingale sighed and turned her head to see Reaver gently placing his elbow on her shoulder, she fought the urge to rip it off and chose to ignore it instead. Besides, all she did while they were traveling together was bark and yell. Had she really settled down and talked to him about their unavoidable situation? No. She hadn't, the realization filled her with guilt and dread, she knew this cad didn't deserve her guilt…but despite that, she felt it. Curse her natural emotionally self, and since she started having mood swings, it seemed as though her emotional side quadrupled. She gently sighed and looked up at Reaver who was busily murmuring at Ben. Then he realized that she was staring rather goofily at him and raised an eyebrow. The blush creeped up to her cheeks and she cleared her throat, "D-do you want to lead?" They had been doing this leading procedure ever since they first entered the woods, so far, they were on their third day of travel and it was almost nighttime. The trio would've gotten more progress done if they traveled the nights too, but the risk of being attacked by Balverines was steadily increasing…it was like they knew the trio was here..in some cases, Nightingale had actually seen yellow eyes glaring out at her.

Reaver tapped his chin with one hand, contemplating if he wanted to be sarcastic…but for some reason, the Princess was looking a little…down. And the fact that her mood swings were starting to scare him…other than that, she also looked..sick. He decided against it and ran a hand through his hair. "I think it's gotten a little too late to travel any longer. Though, I'll lead in the morning…" then he managed to give her a somewhat convincing gentle smile. "Deal?" The blush had rushed to her face again, he had the urge to stroke her cheek but decided against it…the annoying solider would probably rip his arm off. Not having a partner for more than a few days was starting to take a toll on him, he had to get his hands on some spirits, it was starting to irritate him. He smirked upon seeing a genuine smile from her, she had carefully tucked ebony strands of hair behind an ear and nodded her head and then gave her attention back to Ben who was clucking his tongue. "Is it seriously that late? I don't think any Balver-" Suddenly, a low growl could be heard behind them. Nightingale's face had been a little gray from not having enough nourishment…now it seemed to have paled even more, it was as though the little pigment she had completely disappeared. She seriously did not have the physical or mental ability to fight a Balverine.

"D-did you guys hear that…?"

In unison, they both responded with almost pure glee but at the same time pure annoyance, "Yes." Both Ben and Reaver had been itching for a fight.

The trio had luckily avoided any Balverines that seemed to have lurked late at night, but it seemed as though their luck had ran out. They turned around, slowly pulling out their weapons. Ben pulled out his rifle and set aim at the Balverines…not Balverine. There had seemed to be more than one, in fact, two. Nightingale unsheathed her sword and rested it on her shoulders, Reaver sighed with exasperation and the bullets easily swept from his palm and into the Dragonstomper .48. Ben smirked and glanced at Reaver who deviously grinned back, Nightingale rolled her eyes, 'At least they shared something in common, the urge to fight.' The Balverines seemed to have cackled and one of them twiddled it's claws, keeping it's eyes on Nightingale. She narrowed her eyes at it but the fact that she was slightly trembling from fear and over exertion didn't make her feel any better. It was like the Balverine knew she was the odd one out..the weakened one that they could easily take a bite out of. Nightingale slightly shook her head and glared daggers at it, 'Not today.' Then the werewolf like creatures surged at them with claws extended.

**~OOO~**

Skylar smiled brightly and held the soft dove up to her cheek. She planted a gentle kiss on it's little head and heard it softly coo. She could feel the gentle beating of his heart in her long fingers,

"I think it's about time you let him go. I've never known of anyone who could grow so attached to a bird in just a week."

"Patience, Logan dear."

"Dear?"

"Yes. Honey, cuddly buddy, sweetie pie, baby, googly boogly, Logo, Sterns-a-lot.."

"Skylar…should I even respond..?"

"WELL YES YOU SHOULD! When you are called something so sweet and cute, isn't it nice to answer back?"

"Alright, alright."

"Do you have nicknames for me, Logo?"

"…"

A smirk spread across her lips and then she watched as a Noble held back a snicker, then she raised her eyebrows and held her chin high before giving Logan an excited look, "Aww.. HONEY?! What's the matter?!" Logan fought the urge to bang his head into a wall in front of his subjects, instead he walked up next to her and stared down at her sternly, it obviously wasn't working on her for she only stared back with her large bright green eyes. "Sky…" Her eyes brightened and she nodded her head contently, "Yes..yes. Go on."

"Freckles..l-love, sweet h-heart..goggly..T-twiddle toe-shoes.."

Her cheeks glowed with a healthy pink and she gently smacked his arm which had obviously affected the Nobles behind her for they silently gasped. "AWWW! Logan, you're so cute!" Just to reassure the Nobles, Logan smiled genuinely down at his partner, she was the only thing that was keeping him from falling into the deep abyss that was Albion..she was his only support.

"Just throw the bird already!"

"His name is Roger."

"Right..right, Roger."

Skylar laughed once more and glanced at Logan's face and then looked down at Roger again, "Alright little one. Today's the big day! Today you're finally free!" Then she threw her hands up and watched as Roger quickly flapped off towards the horizon, the sky had darkened quite a bit and it was about time to head inside for dinner. "I hope he finds shelter before it gets TOO dark." She looked up at Logan with a sad face and then smiled wearily when he twined his fingers with her's, "He'll be fine. All animals have their natural instincts, he'll find it. Now come, let's go have dinner. Formally." Skylar bit her lip and awkwardly stared up at Logan, "F-formally..?"

"Yes."

"Formally..?

"Yes…formally."

"With the dress..a-and the s-suits?"

"Come on, Skylar."

"…Finnnee.."

Skylar had no formal dresses what so ever. How was she suppose to look formal when she usually was only able to afford 'girl's clothing'? She sighed and paced back in forth in her room, the maid who was suppose to get her ready had told her to stay put which made Skylar want to move around, it didn't do any good to tell her to sit down and relax, she had to look good for Logan! But how? The door clicked open and Skylar snapped her head up to see that very maid shuffle in with a huge package and that creepy smile pasted onto her features. "Alright. Now that I've gotten the dress, let's get you cleaned up." Skylar's hands shot up in a sort of surrendering way, "Woah. Pardon? But where did this dress come from? I know it's certainly not one of mine." The maid sighed and then walked over to her, circling her and examining her. Skylar guessed she was sizing up how much she had to work with, "King Logan had it specially made for you, hmmm.." the maid stopped and tugged on her hair, "You have very pretty hair. But it seems as though you hang around the stables…" Skylar smiled and nodded, "W-well, I do." The maid gave an exasperated sigh and nodded, "That explains it, well, I've seen worse. You'll be prepped in no time." Skylar didn't know what to feel. Should she have been slightly offended? She secretly rolled her eyes and yelped as the maid pulled her along into the bathroom that was located in her quarters. the maid tugged and pulled on Skylar's dress and pushed her into the warm bath. "H-hu?! Woah! W-wait a second! I can clean myself you know!" The maid laughed a bit and nodded, "Then get to it, I'm going to bring that boost back to you're hair with my special herbal shampoo and conditioner. And you know…the King isn't a patient man." Skylar nodded and began to throughly clean herself…she always did, but apparently it wasn't enough for this maid.

Skylar hung over the dresser and gripped the edges so tightly that they were digging into her palms, she yelped as the maid pulled and tugged. Could Skylar get any skinnier?! "A-are we almost done?!" The maid grunted and stopped yanking after a while, "Not quite. Oh dear, h-hold on. I'll be back." Skylar heard the door open and slam shut, she sighed with relief…at least she was getting a breather. These corsets were killers! Skylar stood up straight and ruffled her hair up a bit and stared at herself in the mirror, then she knitted her eyebrows together and crossed her arms across her chest. Was she really worth it? Then she shook her head, 'No, no. The Nobles just think that…they can't accept that Logan and I are fated.' A small smile crept up to her face and she didn't realize it until her green eyes flashed up to the mirror and behind her was Logan who was gently smiling at her. Skylar knitted her eyebrows and finally realizing that she was wearing a corset and some drawers, she yelped. "W-what are you doing here, Logan?!" He silently cackled and then crossed the room to stand behind her, "Well, I saw the maid rush out of the room…It got me wondering if you shooed her off." Skylar silently giggled and then leaned over the dresser again, she was swooning again. He looked…fantastic. Honestly, he was wearing black and red Regal Regalia, he didn't have his crown and she wondered if he wanted to dine with her as a man and woman. A small smile swept across her face and she closed her eyes for a second only to snap them open upon feeling the cords of her corset tugged on. A yelp escaped her lips and she whimpered while smiling and glowering at Logan at the same time through the mirror. "What do you think you're doing, Mister?"

Logan couldn't keep his eyes from trailing her back, the only thing she was in was a corset and some knee high drawers, he pulled on the cords of her corset as gently as he could and heard her sharp intake of breath whenever he did. Suddenly, he was feeling sorry for the female race, he was glad he wasn't a woman. How would he feel? A chuckle escaped his lips at her question and he yanked again, "Well. As you can see, I'm fixing your corset for you." A slight snicker escaped her and she shook her head while gripping the table, "I know that, silly. Bu-but where did you learn…and you're doing it so perfectly!" Logan was very fast and efficient at this because when his sister needed help with corsets, she would always come to him. He had been doing it ever since Nightingale was required to wear them. He tied the cords in a perfect bow and stepped back, Skylar turned to face him and she cocked her head curiously to the side. Logan cleared his throat uncomfortably, finally realizing that it was wrong of him to intrude Skylar's room like this, "Well. My sister always needed help with her corsets, and she liked it when I did them for her so she always came to me for that. I've been doing it for quite some time now." Skylar giggled and folded her hands behind her back childishly, "How sweet, Logan. I guess I'm going to have to come to you for those myself." Logan grinned slightly and they both turned their heads upon seeing the maid curiously pop her head back in with some hair accessories in her hand. Skylar turned her head and raised her eyebrows at Logan before nodding her head to the door, "Be off with you, my King." Logan smirked before nodding at the maid and heading down to the Dining Room with a book in hand, knowing the maid, it might be some time before Skylar reemerged into his vision yet again.

The maid helped her step into her dress as quickly as possible, they had spent so much time on Skylar's hair, only to leave it down with a few dark green clips in them. When the maid tried to put on makeup, Skylar had ran to the other side of the room and shook her head, claiming that she would never wear that dreadful stuff. Skylar thought she looked fine without any makeup, she wanted Logan to always see what she was…and not what she was not. A glower from the maid brought her back to the seat on the stool and she claimed that she didn't mind a little powder in her hair and so the maid had just cackled and batted her hair a bit with powder. The maid removed her hands from Skylar's eyes and pointed at the full body mirror, Skylar's mouth dropped open and she put a hand up to her mouth. Her dress…oh her dress was beautiful..no…stunning. It was a dark green silky ballroom dress that reached the floor. There were tiny straps that held her dress up on her shoulders, they were tilted towards her arms. The dress flowed out in miles and miles of dotted sequins and silk. The dress was bunched up and it flowed out in a perfect shape around her, though she had to admit. How was she going to walk in this thing? The chest of the dress was decorated in beautiful sequins with swirly designs and they just captivated her. The heat rose up to her cheeks and she turned around to smile gratefully at the content maid. "T-thank you so much! I swear, I've never worn such a beautiful dress in my life!" Skylar had thrown her arms up and was now tilting backwards, the maid scrambled a bit and grabbed her arm, pulling her back up again. "U-uh, try not to do that again, the dress is a bit heavy. But..I'm glad to see you like it. You look stunning, I'm sure it'll knock the King right over. And besides, you might as well get used to it. It'll be happening a lot now." Skylar had tears in her eyes and then she hugged the maid, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" The maid laughed and then pried her off, "Alright, enough already! Go to the King, he's waiting for you." Skylar nodded and picked her dress up, and walked out of her room, the only thing she could hear now was the clicking of her heels and the thumping of her heart. 'Ok. You got this. You got this. Just knock 'um over! Yeah..' she cleared her mind and entered the Dining Room to see Logan literally drop the book he was reading. He cleared his throat and then walked up to her, taking her hand and bowing over to kiss it. He gently lead her over to the dining table where they chattered and laughed to their heart's content.

**~OOO~**

Nightingale roughly inserted her sword into the distracted Balverine, twisting it a little she pulled it out and watched the Balverine wither to the ground in it's own blood. She coughed and coughed, hunching over, resting her hands on her knees. The smell of blood was getting to her and she was extremely weak due to the fighting and malnourishment. Nightingale fully collapsed on her hands and knees and had the need to double over, the bile was threatening to come out. Ben rushed over to her side and kneeled down next to her, "Night? Avo. What the hell? You don't look so hot, and your extremely pale..if you thought you were pale before, look at yourself now! Crap…your trembling." He picked her up and her head hung over heavily until she rested it against his chest, Reaver leisurely walked over to them and narrowed his eyes down at the young Princess who was looking quite gray. Then he crossed his arms across his chest, "Has she been eating and drinking correctly? Check her pack." Once he noticed her eyes widened he shook his head, 'Bingo. So she hasn't been, what a fool.' Ben growled down at Nightingale and then leaned her against a tree, Reaver kneeled down next to her and tilted her chin towards him. He looked at her eyes and then back at Ben. "She doesn't have any food in here? Night? Where's all your food?!" Nightingale bit her lip until Reaver dug his nails into her arm, she hissed at him before weakly staring up at Ben. "I distributed them evenly into your pack as well as his." Ben furiously shook his head, "Night! I had a feeling you weren't eating enough, I thought it was my imagination but I guess I was wrong." Then he scrambled to open his pack as well as Reaver's. A hiss escaped his lips as he pulled out extra water and food. "N-" He looked up shocked to see Nightingale wincing and clamping a hand over her mouth, she sloppily stood up and ran a little way into the the forest, close enough so that she could still hear Reaver and Ben. Then when she was feeling the bile rise again, she let it out. Sinking onto her hands and knees, she painfully threw up whatever food she had even eaten.

Ben quickly stood up to check on her but Reaver clamped a hand on his shoulder, then he picked up their packs and gave them to Ben before quickly pulling out a jug of water, "Set up camp in this tree and I'll check up on her. I'll bring her up when she's ok again." Ben pursed his lips and then pointed a finger at the fop's face, "Make sure she's alright. You won't be getting a warm welcome if she isn't." Reaver sighed and then nodded and watched Ben quickly climb up the tree so that he could find a nice spot to keep them hidden. "I'll hoot so that you can hear where I am." Reaver fought the urge to smirk and cupped his hands, "Will do." Then he cleared his throat and began to leisurely strut into the forest where he could hear Nightingale. He wrinkled his nose in disgust as he approached to find her spilling out the last of it. He kneeled down and pulled her hair away from her face until she finally stopped and stood up again, only to fall back into Reaver's arms. "Not so fast, _ma belle_." She put a hand up to her head and Reaver carefully sat her down before opening the jug of water up for her. He pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at her lips before holding the jug of water up to her lips. She frowned and turned her head away, "I-I do-on't need it…no…" but Reaver would not listen to her ridiculous pleas, he grabbed her face and turned it towards the jug once more. "I thought you were utterly ridiculous before, now you're acting just plain stupid. How do you expect.._that_. To survive if you don't drink or eat for two?" Then he gently patted her stomach to indicate that he was talking about the baby in her belly. She sighed, plainly giving up and then tilted her head back when Reaver held the jug up to her lips again. She drank greedily and that proved Reaver's suspicions, 'She hadn't been nourished enough. Silly woman.' Nightingale held her head up and then shook her head, "I'm o-ok now." Reaver growled and she tilted her head back again, "All of it, you fille stupide." He forced the jug upon her until the water was all finished. Already, the Princess was starting to gain some color…and she barely had any in the first place! Reaver stood up and gently pulled her up with him,

"Can you stand..?"

"Yes..wa!"

"I'll take that as a no…ahh…it's typical that I only carry the Princess."

"You're pushing it, Twinkle toes."

"Spoilt Brat."

"Man whore."

"Aggressive potty mouth."

"Woman worshipper."

Reaver smirked with a roll of his eyes and a clench of his jaw and gently lifted the Princess up into his embrace and carried her back to the tree, he waited for the signal but then sighed when he realized that Ben probably didn't sense their presence, he was all the way up in that tree anyway. It pained Reaver to do this, but what other way was there…?

"hoot."

There was a little cackle up in the tree, "You gotta do it with more feeling, Reaver!"

"Hoot..!"

"HOOT!" Ben responded.

Nightingale snickered at the positively ridiculous signal and earned a glare from Reaver as he prepared to boast the Princess up, "hoot?" Reaver rolled his eyes and watched as the Princess weakly but nimbly pulled herself up onto the tree and began to sloppily climb, "Oh darling, just hush." He kept a hand on her back to reassure her that she wasn't going to fall back, but it would've been a good laugh to see that happen. Finally, Nightingale had made it up to the top and scanned the horizon, "Nice spot, Ben." Ben sadly smiled at her and looked down at her from the limb above her, Reaver carefully perched his self next to Nightingale. "Don't good spot me! You nearly gave me a heart attack, what would I have told Lizzie? Dear Avo! Walter would've killed me and thrown me into a ditch for the Hollowmen!" Nightingale burst out into laughter and reached up to pat his leg, "Well. I'm fine now, thanks to you two." Ben shook he's head and pointed a finger before gently throwing her pack down at her, "Oh, no. That's not enough, get eating missy. I'm going to sleep…it's been quite a day." Nightingale nodded and softly smiled at Ben who in response nodded back and leaned his head against the trunk to go to sleep. Nightingale sighed and stared down at her pack before opening it and pulling out a chicken leg. She bit into the smoky flavor and rejoiced in her head, she felt as though she was eating with the gods. Nightingale gently chewed and kept her gaze up at the stars…they looked absolutely beautiful tonight. "Could you chew any louder, _ma belle_..?" Nightingale sighed with exasperation and then turned her head, then she bit into the chicken furiously and chomped loudly at Reaver. Then she looked away, swallowed, and sighed.

"Look. I'm sorry."

"Whatever for..?"

"For being a no good Princess…spoilt and rude."

"Ahh..well, isn't that how a Princess should be like?"

"I feel really…really bad." Suddenly, to Reaver's dismay, tears started falling down her cheeks, she put a hand up to a cheek and with an unconvinced giggle looked at Reaver with a smile.

"Oh..hehe…my mood swings are acting up again."

"…why are you crying, petit oiseau?"

"I-I'm not crying! I..I just feel really bad for being so mean to you, when really, I should be talking to you..about..this.." Nightingale touched her stomach and looked at him with a weary smile.

"Then, let's talk." Reaver reached out and wiped away her tears.

"Well. First of all, I want to k-know. D-do you..do you regret your decision?"

Reaver stared at her long and hard, months ago, he remembered how frail and weak she looked…and then in between she had looked positively menacing. But now, she looked frail and weak again, she stared at him with big eyes that seemed to have belonged to a scared child. Did he regret his decision? What would happen now? She was keeping the baby, he was certain. He sighed and swept his hand through his hair and then stared back at her, she wasn't going to leave him until he gave her an answer…he had to get her off his case. "Not exactly." Nightingale sniffled, she had no energy left to yell, and she told him too, she wanted to just..talk. She cleared her throat and stared up at the stars, "What is the part that you regret..?" A chuckle escaped his lips and he stopped staring at her naturally beautiful features to also look up at the stars.

"Hmph. Well, the part where I forgot to use the c-"

"Ah…yes. Well. That."

"…do you regret it?"

Nightingale's eyes widened upon hearing him ask her that, and then she smiled brightly…almost like the stars. It was blinding him, literally. Then he leaned his head on his arm and watched her look at him with a cock of her head, "No. I don't. I feel so right, because, I'm giving life to something that is struggling to survive…I believe that everyone deserves that chance and it'll only be cruel to take away that opportunity and kill the baby because of my mistake, my status, I will not let his baby DIE…no, never." Reaver nodded his head slowly and almost on instinct, he gently held her hand and stared back at the sky. This would be challenging indeed, he knew she was being serious. What would he do now? Should he just accept that fate? He clenched his jaw and then turned his head to see that the Princess had fallen asleep, he smirked and then laid her hand on her stomach before positioning his self for sleep. Reaver closed his eyes and listened to a howl from faraway before going to yet another night of restless sleeping.

**~OOO~**

Reaver looked up at the broad daylight and then back at Nightingale who was happily bickering with Ben about how they could see the village up ahead. They had finally made it to the Silverpines Village, and in broad daylight. He watched as the slight warm breeze threw her obsidian colored hair into a whirlwind around her pale body. She peeked over at him and raised and eyebrow, he smirked and looked back down at the map. They all stopped and stared at the village that seemed to be 10 feet away from them. Nightingale knitted her eyebrows together and cocked her head to the side, "Why…where is everyone? Why does it look so deserted?" Ben tugged on her arm and looked down at her, "Remember, Balverine problem?" She raised her eyebrows, causing her to look startled when she really wasn't, "Right. Well, come one guys." She walked ahead of them and then stared at the Silver nitrate torches as they passed the entrance, upon seeing the silver torch and the blue flames, she gave a giddy smile. 'Oh, Avo. Please help us convince these people.' Suddenly, a door clicked open and a bullet was shot at her feet, she yelled out and jumped back, colliding in to Reaver. She looked up at him and raised her hands in a sorry gesture. Then she glared back at the old man with the rifle in his hands, "What the hell was that for?!"

"What are you Balverines doin here?! Get! Get outta here, you'll be dead in a second either way..!"

They all stared each other with confusion, Reaver looked like he wanted to shoot the guy but with a stern stare from Nightingale he crossed his arms across his chest and glared at the old fellow. Ben stared down at Nightingale and shrugged his shoulders, then they looked back at the confused man.

"Wait. Why aren't ye guys flipping out?"

Reaver snorted with annoyance and shook his head, "Probably because we aren't Balverines..?"

"R-really…?"

Nightingale nodded and then pulled Ben and Reaver over to a Silver nitrate torch, she rested her hand on the torch and smiled nicely at the confused man and stepped back as the other two did the same. They crept closer to the old man and he smiled giddily, he rested his rifle to the side and yelled out at the top of his lungs, "IT'S ALRIGHT EVERYONE! JUST A FEW TRAVELERS!" Suddenly, the village was bustling around with a few people that were walking around, kids darting past each other and toying with rag dolls. Nightingale smiled and stared up at the old man, "I'm sorry about that. We've been having a lot of trouble with Balverines lately, they don't even hide around at night even more. We've had a few that just come out in broad daylight. Name's Jacob." Nightingale looked at Reaver and Ben and then stared at the man with a little smile on her face, "I'm Nightingale and these two are Reaver and Ben." Jacob's eyes widened and he pointed a finger at her, "W-why you're the Princess!" Nightingale's eyes widened and she held her hands up, "N-no! Don't yell out so loudly! Please!" There was a chuckle from a few townsfolk and the men standing at either side of her, "It's alright Princess, we won't tell nobody. What brings you here?" Nightingale smiled with relief and then walked up to Jacob as he carefully walked down the steps from a rickety house, "Well, first, if you don't mind. Could you tell me about this Balverine problem?"

"Alrighty, lass, come along, and bring your friends too. Might as well get comfy, no?"

Nightingale nodded and then turned around to wave Ben and Reaver over, they swiftly followed after them and entered the house that Jacob was just in.

**~OOO~**

****A/N: Hey there guys! I don't know what else to say for this chapter except that you should enjoy it! Follow and review to your hearts' content! Usual Disclaimer!**

**P.s. : Ok, so I was looking through google for more people that looked like the characters that I missed:**

**Nick Offerman - Sir Walter Beck (I could be wrong, I was just looking through google! XD)**

**Clive Owen - Major Swift (Dude…I couldn't find anyone with a reasonable mustache, so I found him..he just seemed like Swifty to me. XD)**

**I still can't find anyone for Sabine or Boulder…HELP! **

**Rachel Weisz - Sparrow**

**Alex Pettyfer - Stephen (Sparrow's husband)**

**Anyway, well, I can't wait for the next chapter! Enjoy!****


	18. Chapter 18

**Nightingale**

**Chapter 18: Balverine Trouble**

**"Once you have an infestation, it's very hard to get rid of them."**

**-Matt Schroeder**

**~OOO~**

"Do you know why there are so many Balverines in this area now?" Nightingale asked while resting her elbows on the wooden dining table. She turned her head to see that Ben was most curious also but Reaver…well, obviously was not for he stared down at his nails with a frown. She slightly rolled her eyes and gave her attention back to Jacob who was pondering with a confused look. "Now that you mention it, your Majesty, I have no idea. There just seems to be a lot of 'um nowadays." Nightingale was also pondering, 'How in the world? Is there something the Balverines want? Some..some sort of material or…what attracted them here anyway? Food..no, yes? Ugh. They are indeed a lot smarter and mysterious than I thought.' She slightly shook her head and found Ben asking Jacob, "And when they do attack, if they get the chance to, what do you defend yourselves with?" Jacob smiled and then pulled up his rifle, he pulled out a strange looking bullet. It was shiny and metallic with a sharp end. Suddenly, Nightingale found herself gulping, 'I'm glad I jumped back..' He rested it in Ben's palm and continued talking, "Silver. Since Balverines are weak against Silver we use that, which also explains the Silver nitrate torches at the exit and entrance of our little village." Nightingale gently took it from Ben while staring at Jacob and then began to examine it, "But..where do you get all this Silver from?" She looked at Reaver, he glanced back up at her from where he was slouched with what almost seemed like annoyance, she flashed her eyes down at the bullet and he shook his head, he clearly was not interested. Nightingale sighed and gave the sharp trinket back to Jacob. "I guess you can say Avo granted us with a gift, we have a Silver mine here. That's where we get the Silver from."

Ben nodded and then crossed his arms across his bloodstained uniform, "Now. Jacob, you were talking about watches? What do you mean by that?" Jacob nodded sternly and leaned back against his chair, relaxing his hands on his knees, "Aye. Watches. At night, since that is the time when Balverines are active, we have 4 different men or volunteers who watch over the Silver nitrate torches, so that they won't get blown out. The damn Balverines are always trying to push their luck. Why, we had to exile this bloke some time before because he fell asleep during his watch and that caused a torch to blow out. The goof is probably in 25 different stomachs now." Nightingale curiously raised an eyebrow at Ben and then stared back at Jacob who was aimlessly tugging at a loose splinter, "A-and who was this man?"

"Conner."

Nightingale nodded and looked down at her hands, the atmosphere suddenly got very, very tense.

"What's wrong with that piece of dead rubber..?" Jacob slightly chuckled while nodding his head towards Reaver. Reaver's eyes sinisterly flashed up to the gentle old man and he stopped toying with his nails, now his hand rested on the holster in which the Dragonstomper .48 rested. A few angry glares from Ben and Nightingale let out a smirk from Reaver.

Nightingale looked back at Jacob with an all-too-happy smile, "Oh…many, many things." From under the table, she could feel Reaver's hand grip her knee tighter and tighter, she pursed her lips into a thin line and then reached her hand under the table and began to dig her nails into his hand, he still wouldn't budge and she began to swat at his hand, a chuckle escaped Reaver and she smiled forcefully at the confused Jacob and Ben, finally Reaver released his grip from her knee and she relaxed a bit and stared at Ben who was knitting his eyebrows together in confusion, "Um..is everything alright..Night?" She shook her head and gave him a dazzling smile, "Oh totally fine.." she flashed an angry glare at Reaver from the corner of her eyes and then watched Ben as they all resumed talking. "Well, now that we are talking about Mr. Reaver here. We had a little problem occur quite recently…you see, I'm quite sure you've heard of the problems in Industrial what with all the rebellious acts and such?" Jacob nodded his head with a dull look on his face, he waved his hand in the air, "A little too much, I'm afraid." Ben nodded and decided to continue once he had recaptured everyone's attention, "Well. The Princess here and a few of her..friends, went to Mr. Reaver's mansion to collect a few captured associates…only to be forced into some dirty killing game. They saved the lone survivor, but not without a few sacrifices. You see, a dear friend of the Princess was bitten by a Balverine. Both the Princess and I had witnessed her transformation and now she's locked in a cage with left over Silver coating the metal bars." A dead silence followed after that and Nightingale rubbed her arm, Ben looked over and gave her a sympathetic look while Reaver sat in the middle, slouching further in his chair.

"Now..I don't even want to know WHERE the Balverine came from, but since she was bitten..oh Avo. That's deep."

Nightingale nodded, "Yes, you REALLY don't want to know. B-but, please. I have a favor to ask of you. We heard that pure Silver and a few herbs mixed together can create some type of..potion, antidote that can cure a Balverine bite…bringing the person back to normal. Please, I beg of you. Can you make that concoction?" She had her hands unintentionally folded together and stared at Jacob with wide pleading eyes. Jacob stared back at her for a while and then exchanged different looks between all three. He finally smiled and nodded his head while holding his hands up in a surrendering way, "My dear, you don't even have to ask. I'll do anything for the soon to be Queen. Now…this may take a while, it's not easy to make, but our herbalist has been making this for years. If you guys can wait until nightfall…?" Nightingale stopped slouching forward and shot straight up, surprising both Ben and Jacob, she sighed with relief and stared at her travel partners with a nod of her head, "T-that's totally fine! A-and since you're doing so much for us already, we'll try and see what we can do with this Balverine infestation!" Ben and Reaver both sighed with pouts on their faces, they were actually thinking of spending the whole day without having to do anything. Jacob put his hands up again and shook his head with a cute elderly chuckle, "No, no, Princess, that's not necessary. But it could help." The relentless Princess shot back and shook her head wildly once more, "Then it's settled, we'll get to work as soon as possible!" Jacob laughed and then looked at the two disappointed men, "Not just yet, Princess. Take the day to relax…while you can. Because when night falls…the odds grow against us. I'll do this…I'll set you three up on three of the torches and I'll join you myself on the fourth one. You can try to do as much research then, but for now. Relax. Everyone looks tired." That had brought a shine into the previously disappointed Ben and Reaver, they all stood up and walked out of the rickety house.

Jacob showed them around the little village and finally stopped to introduce a few men and women who excitedly walked up to them, Jacob smiled and nodded, "Alright. Princess, why don't you go with our village girls and clean up while you two go with these men and get cleaned up. After that, we'll meet in the tavern for some fun. Might as well soak in as much of it as you can, before night fall." The village girls pulled Nightingale along by the arms and she turned her head at Jacob all the while being dragged, "A-ah..wait, this really isn't necessary!" The girls let out loud laughs and one of them smirked while tugging her along again, "Oh come now. You've been traveling for days. Isn't it nice to get some girl time and relax?" Nightingale stopped struggling and then added a giggle of her own, "Well..now that you mention it, I suppose so." With a finally laugh from the group, they entered a public wash house for women and set to work on fixing the Princess up.

**~OOO~**

Nightingale was pushed into oil scented water and was forced to keep her hands down while the girls went to carefully cleaning the Princess. After a rigorous cleaning session, the girl's pulled her out and picked out a stiff brown corset and some skinny leather like pants with brown ankle high lace boots. Nightingale walked up to a full body mirror after some life sucking corset tying and smiled at the reflections, she felt comfy..and well, herself. Then she finally realized that the corset didn't have any sleeves. She yelped and wrapped her arms around her body, then she turned towards one of the girls, "Is it really ok for me to be walking around like this?! I won't be considered as some kind of..prostitute, right?" The girls let out hearty laughter and pushed the Princess down so that she was sitting with them in one big circle, "No, you won't be, trust me. Everyone wears all that kind of stuff all the time, since we are a working village, we tend to wear things that are comfortable." Nightingale nodded as one of the girls, Amanda, as she recalled worked on her hair. The other girls huddled a little closer and smiled at her with curious smiles, Nightingale let out a giggle and then raised an eyebrow, "Let me guess. You guys are interested with one of the guys?" Sylvie, Lola, and Tyler let out laughs while Amanda giggled. Amanda carefully began to tug a few pieces of her ebony hair in a crown around her head while leaving the rest of it down, she tied it tightly with a ribbon and sat down next to Nightingale. "Well, both of them are cute…" said a very shy Lola. Sylvie stared back at Lola as if she was crazy, "Cute?! Oh Avo, they are more than just cute…they're handsome." Nightingale couldn't help but fluster up, she definitely knew that Ben was quite the charmer but she saw him as nothing more than a big brother..while, Reaver on the other hand…he was just, complicated. Though, she had to admit, he was indeed a very beautiful man. "How long have you known Captain Finn, Princess?" Amanda curiously stared at her while resting her head on her arms. Nightingale sighed thoughtfully and tapped her chin curiously, "Well, we're very close. We've known each other for months, he's like a big brother to me."

Sylvie waggled her eyebrows inappropriately and smirked while nudging Nightingale's shoulder, "Just a big brother..?"

"Yes…just a big brother."

"Does he fancy anyone?"

"Hmm..now that you ask. I think he does, he seems to be close to a dear, dear friend of mine. The one who was bitten by the Balverine. Her name is Elizabeth."

"Oh wow, what a beautiful name. Is she pretty?"

"Very pretty. Hair like a sea of curly blond and eyes the color of aquamarine."

"How lucky."

"I suppose. Ben is a very sweet person, though truthfully.." Then Nightingale leaned in with a playful look on her face as the others leaned in to hear what she had to say, "He can actually be a total pain in the ass at times..well, most of the time."

This caused loud laughter among the girls, it seemed like forever before they actually stopped laughing.

**~OOO~**

Ben rested his arms against the edge of the hot springs, and stared out at Reaver who had his eyes closed. 'Who knows what he could be scheming..' then he shook his head and narrowed his icy blues.

"What are you staring at, Captain?"

"You knew? But you had your eyes closed…"

"Don't take me for a fool."

Ben muttered unintelligent words and swept a hand through his wet hair, he stared all around before he felt a strange vibe running through him. Suddenly he had the urge to sneeze, 'That's just weird..' several times he had the need but it just didn't come out. Finally he sneezed quite a big one that could've startled a Hobbe.

"_Que Dieu vous bénisse_. Finally."

"Pardon?"

"It means bless you."

"Y-you're blessing me…? Oh Rea-"

"…"

"I feel as though someone was talking about me…"

"…I suppose."

**~OOO~**

Nightingale walked out of the wash house and had her arms linked together with Sylvie, Amanda, Lola, and Tyler. Tyler leaned over so that she could see Nightingale's face and then gave her a smirk, "So…what about Mr. Reaver…hmm..?" There were a few sharp giggles as Nightingale stared back at Tyler with a startled look, Tyler laughed and shrugged, "Bingo." Nightingale sighed with a slight cackle, then she looked up at the afternoon sky with a slight pondering look, "I-It's quite complicated, actually." Amanda who was standing next to her nudged her in the shoulder and they all made 'Ooohh' noises. Flustering up yet again, she quietly told them about what had happened between her and Reaver, the girls stopped laughing and nodded seriously here and there. Lola looked at Nightingale and smiled, "Don't worry, we won't be telling anyone. And besides, that wasn't all your fault. There's nothing to be ashamed of. But…he didn't even give you a proper answer…about the baby. Knowing Mr. Reaver, wh-what if he tried to hurt you?" Nightingale stared at Lola for a while and the girls stopped for a second, waiting for Nightingale's answer. "O-oh my. Lola, I think you're right. That only means that I'll have to step up my guard, I've been as careful as possible. But getting into fights all the time is getting me worried." Amanda and the girls gave her sympathetic looks, "Just be careful." Tyler said with a nod of her head, and then Amanda sighed and then smiled at Nightingale, "Well, look on the bright side. You're allowing a soul a chance to live. I believe that you'll be a wonderful mother. Congrats." Nightingale smiled at all of the girls and they formed a group hug. The shuffling of boots could be heard as a few local boys as well as Reaver and Ben strutted up to the girls. "What's with all this? Come on, my ladies, let's go have some fun!" A boy said while opening the door to the tavern for the ladies. Nightingale bit her lip and then glanced at Reaver through the corner of her eyes and saw him smirking at her, she turned her attention back to the girls who smiled sweetly at her and led her into the lively tavern.

**~OOO~**

Nightingale pouted in the dark and fastened her pistol to her belt a little more tightly, why did she have to be the one that had to stand next to the devil, Reaver, himself. Reaver sighed and leaned next to the torch that he guarded that was at least 10 ft away from Nightingale. They were guarding the exit while Ben and Jacob were guarding the entrance.

"You look quite alluring in that outfit of yours. Mon rosier savage."

Nightingale sighed deeply and stared across the 10 ft gap to find Reaver smirking at her, she looked away and stared straight out into the darkness that was starting to make her feel a bit freaked out. She knitted her eyebrows in aggravation and responded with an awkward tone in her voice, "Thanks."

Before Reaver could respond, a courier interrupted his thoughts. The man walked up to Nightingale and knitted his eyebrows in confusion, "Um. Hello your Highness. I-I believe that this is actually, well, for you." Nightingale also knitted her eyebrows in confusion and stared back at Reaver who was curiously raising an eyebrow, she took the enveloped letter and thanked him, "Please return to the safety of your home now." The man nodded and quickly scuttled his way back to his own home now that the job was done. "A letter. For me? How?" She yelled out so that Reaver could here, "Well. For heaven's sake, Princess. What does it say?" She shook her head and carefully silted it open with a dagger that she stuffed in her boot, she unfolded the slightly crumbled piece of paper and her eyes widened with disbelief. "_Looking for the statue, your majesty? Follow the white balverine._" She yelled out once more to Reaver, she looked at him with a startled expression and he knitted his eyebrows curiously. She shook her head and then stared down at the letter once more, "White Balverine? What does this mea-" she had looked up upon hearing a ominous low growl, it was like the wind was beaten out of her. Her heart was literally in her throat. There out in the wilderness, not too far away were a pair of glowing yellow eyes…and that fur coat…snow white. She blinked her eyes a few times but it was still there, she shook her head and looked at Reaver who was staring at the mysterious White Balverine with a sinister look in his eyes. "T-the White Balverine." Then she narrowed her steel gray eyes and wanted to sound tough but it only came out like a gasping croak. "Brendan!" He was a boy who had hung out with her at the tavern in the late afternoon, he was also one of the extra volunteers that could take another's place to watch the torch in case something happened. The guy came running along, oblivious to the fact that there was a freaky looking Balverine in the woods glaring at them, his eyes were only on her…unfortunately.

"Go get Jacob."

"B-bu-"

"NOW!"

**~OOO~**

****A/N: Alright! I'm getting there, I'm getting there. The big fighting scene will commence sooner or later. Annndd..I've gotta a little surprise in the next chapter too! Well, I'm thinking about doing it. XD**

**Anyway! Let me know what think about this chapter! Fave and review to your heart's content! I can't wait for the next chapter! Usual Disclaimer and I love you guys!****


	19. Chapter 19

**Nightingale**

**Chapter 19: Inevitable**

"**Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional."**

**-Anonymous**

**~OOO~**

Jacob soon came running over to an extremely freaked Nightingale and a lax looking Reaver. "Before I ask you anything, you do have a substitute for your torch, right?" Jacob had seemed to give Nightingale an 'Are you serious' look. She gulped and he nodded and put a hand up, "Alright, out with it, what's going on lass?"

"Ok, I want you to read this letter, and then look over at what I'm pointing at and tell me that I'm not crazy or hallucinating."

"Hmm..what the hell?…OH dear Avo! It is a White Balverine! And what's this statue that it's talking about?"

"So, while we were making our way over here, we came across a woman in the Millfields who was talking about a stolen statue, I told her that since my friends and I were headed there that I get it back for her. Now, I'm assuming that this is the statue that I'm looking for…i-it looked like a Balverine."

"Oh dear Avo. Did that pompous idiot know what she had in her possession?! The statue that you're talking about is called The White one. There can be no other! That is the one!"

"Wh-why are you yelling? Is there something bad about it?"

"Yes lass. EVERYTHING about it is bad! This statue has the ability to grant it's user ONE specific wish. And that wish is the most dangerous. That statue turns the user into a leader of Balverines, which means, a White Balverine. This also means that whoever that White Balverine is…or was, used it's power for their own gain. Now who, that is yet to be seen."

Nightingale's eyes widened and she looked down at the ground with fists clenched, then she looked up from Jacob and then Reaver who gave her a slight shrug. She whipped her head back towards Jacob and gently took back the letter. "This is bad. Really bad. I don't have a good feeling about this, I feel like if I don't do what this letter says…something bad will happen. Jacob. Get the townsfolk ready, arm them to the teeth. This may be just a precaution, but it must be done. I have to follow that White Balverine, this could mean that the village is in danger if I don't get my hands on that statue." Jacob gave her a once over and then sighed deeply, then he patted her on the shoulder and nodded his head, "Alright Princess. That does seem to be the most reasonable bet. I'll get everyone ready-" Ben came trotting over with his rifle in hand, "I heard what happened from Brendon. What's going on?" Nightingale looked at Jacob and then began to explain their previous conversation to Ben. He nodded and then smirked devilishly, "Finally, some action. Why don't you and Reaver follow after the Balverine while Jacob and I get the town ready for any attacks. If anything happens, run back here as fast as you can." Nightingale gave Ben a weary smile and earned a hug from her brotherly figure, "Alright. Let's break guys, we've got a long night ahead of us." Nightingale waved as Jacob and Ben went off to the town, 2 volunteers that were armed took Nightingale and Reaver's place. She turned towards the towering Reaver and earned a 'charming' smirk, then she turned towards the direction the White Balverine was standing at. Her heart went up to her throat again and she seemed to have lost the ability to breath correctly. Nightingale pulled out her pistol and held it up defensively while Reaver did the same. They slowly slinked towards the blooded White Balverine, it seemed to have a smirk on it's face…as if it knew that Nightingale was shivering. Suddenly it howled and jumped up into the air, disappearing from their line of sight. Nightingale gasped and swiveled around on her heels, looking at every corner and stump. Reaver's hand jerked her back to reality, "Calm down, _ma belle_. Let's just follow the path for now." Nightingale looked up at him and then took a deep breath before they continued with pistols raised.

**~OOO~**

People pushed and shoved each other in the tavern, girls squealed and boys took that chance to slink near, mothers held their children and fathers raised their chins. Jacob held his hands up and tried to yell over the yelling and shouting, "Hey! Hey! Peopl-" He was cut off, a glare was casted on his face and he shook his head, then he turned towards Ben and sighed, "Ah. These blasted ninnies are giving me a damn headache. How will we get them to listen, they're too busy freaking out over a possible attack." Ben smiled sympathetically at him and rested a hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry, I've got a plan." Then Ben climbed up on the bar table and cocked his rifle, then he held it up towards the roof and pulled the trigger, there were a few yells and and screams before everyone died down and turned towards Ben's authoritative figure. "OIIII! That's about enough! What are you a bunch of hyenas with rabies?! When Jacob says listen, listen! I'm sure you heard from him about the possible attack, yes, there may actually be one." A few rising murmurs escaped the mouths of the unnerved bunch, "But! This is not the time to be screaming and running around like babies. We have to stand up and arm ourselves. How will we get them out when they attack? By running and screaming? Hell no! The only way is to fight back and show 'um who's boss!" Loud cheers and screams boomed through Ben's ears as he raised his fists in the air, he motioned for them to quiet down, "I know that almost each and everyone of you has used a gun, knows combat, each and everyone of you has studied the damn Balverines and you KNOW their weakness. You have a chance! Why risk losing it by running away and dying? So..what do you say? LET'S ARM OURSELVES FOR BATTLE! FOR ALBION!" Screams and cheers rumbled throughout the tavern again, screams loud enough to send the glasses vibrating, fists pumped and chants of 'For Albion' boomed everywhere. Ben hopped down from the bar table and grabbed Jacob's arm, then he waved his hand as he ran out of the tavern, motioning everyone to head towards the weapons shack, "Arm yourselves as much as you can! We have an advantage and we will NOT lose!" People screamed and yelled, quickly filing after Ben and Jacob.

Now the whole village was armed, mothers cocked their rifles and checked their Silver tipped daggers while filing their children into their houses and giving them weapons as well, fathers and boys spread themselves all throughout the village and were on the look out while young women guarded the houses with the mothers. Ben ran back and forth between the entrance and exit of the village, making sure that he volunteers were armed to the teeth and ready for a bloody battle. Then he stood next to Jacob, armed with Silver himself and cracked his neck, "Alright, Jacob. This is it. We just have to be on our guards now." Jacob nodded awkwardly and then nudged him in the shoulder, "Where did you learn to speak like that?" Ben looked down at Jacob before scanning the area once more, "I'm a Captain. It's been pounded into my head." Jacob laughed and then went back to back with Ben, looking out around the area. "I just hope the Princess and Reaver don't get in harms way."

"W-will she be alright..?"

They both turned to see a pack of females staring up at them with stern looks. Ben didn't think women were menacing at all, but what with all those weapons, he had a sudden change of mind. He stared at the girls before him remembering that they had been with Nightingale all afternoon. Sylvie, Lola, Tyler, and Amanda. Yes, menacing indeed. Ripped pants, combat boots and tight corsets….something along the lines of what Nightingale was wearing. He realized he was staring too long and then sighed, running a hand through his hair before smiling sincerely at them. Ben knew that he didn't have to worry about Nightingale, she was a tough soul, she wouldn't be brought down easily, not at all. "She'll definitely be alright. Trust me. Nightingale is one crazy chick." That sent small smiles throughout the group, they gave him one last stare before spreading out and guarding unoccupied house doors. Ben sighed deeply before going back to scanning the horizon.

**~OOO~**

The sound of a cage rattling and skin sizzling echoed eerily throughout the underground sewers. Each time she tried to grab someone's attention, no one would listen, she swore she was under control now! It wouldn't last long though, if no one listened, then she was sure to feel helpless. For some odd reason, it was as if Balverine Lizzie could feel the tension from Nightingale and Ben from far away, there was something going on and she wanted to know what, but how would she get out of the cage, no one was stopping to listen to her. All they did was wince whenever her skin came in contact with the melted Silver. She was literally going to go crazy if no one heard her out. What if the tension she was feeling meant that Night was in trouble? What would Lizzie do then? She continued to pound against the cage, even if it did hurt like hell. Howls and screams were soon filtering throughout the sewers. This was sure to get someone's attention. Lizzie knew that a Balverine's roar was loud enough to hear from far away. Soon Walter came strutting up to a boy who was shivering uncontrollably, "What in blazes is going on here? What's wrong with her?!" The boy looked from Balverine Lizzie to Walter, "Sh-she seems to be demanding attention, or it looks like that to me, she hasn't hurt anyone..but she won't stop doing that. It's been going on for at least an hour or so now." Walter stopped glaring at the young man and went to glaring at the fidgety Balverine in the cage. He scanned her figure. "If this is some Balverine trick, I swear." The Balverine Lizzie growled a bit and then managed to squeeze out a long skinny clawed finger, she began to draw on the ground. Walter furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and slightly turned his head upon Page's arrival. "I heard what happened, what's going on?" There was a growl from Lizzie and Walter snapped his head back, he raised his hands defensively and muttered, "Sorry. Go on." Page walked up next to Walter and stared dumbstruck at the ground like him.

"T-this is amazing. I didn't know Balverines could do that much." Walter earned a smack from Page, "If you don't clearly remember, that's Lizzie." Balverine Lizzie looked up and gave a somewhat smirk and then went back to trying to write out her message in the dirt. Page held a hand up and cleared her throat, "Wait a second. Let me stop you, does this mean that you're..under control?" Balverine Lizzie stared down at the ground and wobbly scrambled out a barely legible "Yes, but not for long. There is something wrong with the…air. I can feel a strange worried aura emitting from Nightingale and Ben, it's making me worried. What if something is happening? I'm under control for now, maybe if I get there fast enough, I can find out what. I have a really bad feeling going on about me. Please, Page..Walter, you have to believe me. They might be in danger. A human will take longer to trek the Silverpines. But I can guarantee that I will be able to reach the Silverpines in just a few…if I push myself. Please…please." Then Balverine Lizzie looked up with aquamarine eyes. They were not yellow but for the moment blue-green. Walter turned to look at Page who was staring at Lizzie with a worried gaze, "Walter. I don't think she's lying. Aren't Balverine eyes usually yellow? That has to be Lizzie. If she was so incoherent, she wouldn't even be able to recognize us, but she can now." Page looked back up at Walter to find him studying her expression, finally he let out an exasperated sigh, he shifted through his pockets until he pulled out the cage door key. "If they really might be in danger, then you have to hurry, don't stop, run as fast as your Balverine legs will let you. I don't know what I'll do if Night doesn't come back. That's always on my mind nowadays." Balverine Lizzie crouched down low and sent him a little nod, he inserted the key into the mechanism and then twisted, the door flung open and Balverine Lizzie let out one silent howl before squatting down and blasting through the air towards the Silverpines. She was soon into the forest, her panting was loud and her heartbeat was thumping in her chest. Lizzie would make it…yes, she would, she just had to move even faster. Her claws raked into the ground and she felt a sudden surge of energy in her hind legs, she howled once more and rushed ahead even faster.

**~OOO~**

Nightingale kept a finger on the trigger and looked swiftly around and then back at Reaver who was also staring, though not as cautiously. There were Balverines in the bushes and up on the tree branches. They didn't attack though, all they did was stare..stare and growl. She took a deep breath and cleared her throat, "Why are they just..watching us?" Reaver let out an unnecessary chuckle, she didn't know if it was to make her comfortable or himself…but it made her even more nervous. "Remember, we are supposedly following their leader, they aren't suppose to attack us. Silly little beauté." Nightingale rubbed her arm uncomfortably and nodded her head, up ahead the White Balverine impatiently waited for them. Growling a little here and there, if this was pissing it off, then by all means, she would move even slower. But this was no time to be playing jokes.

"Aw, dear. Are you cold..why don't we cuddle? It'll make you feel better."

"These boots are kick-ass and I'm not afraid to use them, come any closer and I'll knock your lights out."

"I'd like to see you try."

"Alright, set up an appointment and I'll demonstrate."

"How about…whe-"

"OK! This isn't the time to be talking idly like this, the village is in danger. Come on, you fool."

"You started it, my dear."

"I KNOW I DID."

She shoved past him and rolled her eyes, she began to slow down once she realized that she was getting awfully close to the wretched thing. The smell of blood and guts emitted so strongly from it, it made her want to gag and puke. Which in her case, was not hard to do. With one finally growl it turned around and built up momentum in it's hind legs and took off deeper into the forest though from here, there was a strange glowing light. Nightingale furrowed her eyebrows and then squinted her eyes, this wasn't fake, it was real. Ok, she wasn't losing her mind…yet. Reaver walked up next to her and then leaned a bit, resting his hand on his hip in that defiant way of his. "After you, Princess." Nightingale glowered at him before taking a deep breath and walking forward, soon she had to put a hand up to her eyes because of the glowing orange lights, it was bright compared to the darkness of the forest. It turned out to be some sort of soiled clearing…trees torn clearly from their trunks and up ahead there was a strange man sitting in a crumbling marble throne, the light of the fires bouncing off his aging features. Nightingale slowed down until she was at least 20 or 30 feet away from the throne. She held a gasp inside of her as her eyes trailed from the man on the throne to behind him. There were two Balverines resting on their hunches on both sides of the man, there were two more up the tree glowering down at the duo. Reaver smirked beside her and she held her head high. The black haired man smiled deviously and stood up, dusting off his brown trousers. Then he bowed, "Ahh..if it isn't the beloved Princess? I suppose you received my lovely letter?" Nightingale narrowed her steel gray eyes at the man and folded her arms across her chest, "I did indeed, now where is the statue?" The man scoffed at her and then moved away from the throne, he held his arm up to point at the Balverine statue that rested on the arm of the throne. Her eyes flashed at the White One and then the man. "Oh, how rude of me, your Highness. I don't believe I introduced myself. Conner, Princess."

Nightingale's eyes widened and she turned her head to look at Reaver who looked back at her with a smirk on his face, "Did it have to be any more obvious?" Nightingale blinked a few times and then turned her head away, "You're right. I should have noticed right away. What other man then the one that was exiled." Reaver folded his arms across his chest and nodded softly, "Preciously." Nightingale pouted at Reaver and pointed her pistol at him, "You could have..I don't know..told everyone BEFORE." Reaver just shrugged with that devious twinkle in his brown green flicked eyes, "What's the fun in ruining the surprise?" Nightingale turned her body towards Reaver and pointed a finger at him, " ….I'm gonna-" Nightingale probably jumped 10 inches off the ground, Conner angrily stared at the duo and slammed his fist down on the ground, "ENOUGH!" She clenched her hands tightly around her glowing pistol and sent one last glower at Reaver before turning her attention back to the irritated Conner. "I know you want the statue your Highness. Yes, I know you do. You may have it." Nightingale narrowed her eyes defiantly and put a hand on her hip, "What's the part you're not telling me, Conner?" A smirk found it's way across his lips and he rested easily back in his throne and lazily rested on his arm while sharing chuckles with his vicious Balverine pals. "You may have it on one condition. And that would if you attack the Silverpines village and blow out the torches so my pets can finish everything once and for all." Nightingale stared at the man with a shocked expression, then her eyes narrowed and she pointed a finger at him and shook her head, Reaver rolled his eyes and rubbed his temples, "Oh boy." Nightingale bit her lip and then clenched her left fist, "Y..you MONSTER! How could you even think like that?! My answer is NEVER! I will die first!" The red tint overlapped Conner's face and he stood up clenching his fists, then a smirk found it's way across his features. "Very well. Then you can join the fate of the rest of the village. GO my pets! Go and finish them yourself! Remember what they did to us and kill them all!" Nightingale shook her head and swiveled around to watch the pack of Balverines speed off towards the village, "NOOOO!" Reaver grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her a bit, "WHAT?!" He smirked and then nodded his head towards the village, "Head back to the village, they'll need your help. I'll be right behind you." Nightingale's eyes widened upon hearing the cracking of bones and the blood curdling yells from Conner. "GO!" Nightingale bit her lip and then twirled around and ran for her life towards the village.

He wasn't lying when he told her that he'd be right behind her, he was. They sprinted quickly out of the clearing and quickly began to make their way towards the armed village, but of course, not without some kind of obstacle. Nightingale killed the Balverines in the front while Reaver guarded her flank, the rage and emotions that were bubbling out of her figure pumped her adrenaline. No one would stop her, not now and definitely not some Balverines. She mercilessly slashed and shot her way through the numerous Balverines that tried to slow them down, Reaver didn't miss a shot, he killed whatever Balverines were following them and they quickly made it to the entrance of the village to find havoc and blood…tons of blood. Nightingale was panting deeply, she put a hand up to her temples and closed her eyes for just a few seconds. A tiny little tap on her stomach brought her back to reality. Her eyes snapped open and she stared up to find Reaver resting a hand on her stomach, there was no bulge yet, but there would be one soon. "I would recommend not over exerting yourself. I don't think the baby would appreciate it, Princess." Nightingale looked down at the ground and then gently pulled his hand away from her stomach and nudged him, "I-it'll be fine. Now come on, we have to help." Reaver chuckled and followed after her, jogging carefully. "You make me out to be some kind of good guy." Nightingale gasped and turned her head to find a roaring Balverine coming straight for her, she was losing patience…now she didn't even care if these people where once humans. They could have found control and saved themselves, but to her…it seemed like they just gave up. She glared at the foul creature and sunk her sword deeply into it's gut, earning a deafening scream and a few streaks of warm blood down her arm. It crumpled down to the ground and she quickly began flicking the blood off her arm, "Disgusting." Then she watched as Reaver shot 3 Balverines in a row through the head as they seemed to be attacking a few friends of hers: Sylvie and Amanda. A sigh of relief came from inside her and she slightly smiled, "Oh thank god they're alright." Reaver turned to her and gave her a cocky smile, "What can I say? I'm the best of the best." Nightingale pouted at him and then scanned the horizon, the Balverines were indeed dying quickly at the hands of the village folk, 'What ruthlessness, nice.' But what made it worse was that more Balverines took the place of a fallen one. She turned her head the other way to find her other two friends Lola and Tyler trying to fend off a tough looking Balverine, it had already taken a few shots and yet it was still at them. Her eyes widened and she abandoned a slightly surprised Reaver and ran head on at the Balverine. Nightingale screamed out a deafening war cry and stabbed the Balverine in the back, it roared loudly and attempted to reach out behind it. She moved out of the way at the last second each time and stared at the two girls who were watching with horrified looks, "Guys! G-get out of the way! Get inside the house and guard the kids, don't come back out until it's dead!" Lola shook her head with disbelief all over her face, her green eyes glittering with confusion. "B-but, what about you?!" Tyler had already grabbed her by the arm and was attempting to quickly drag her into the house, "NOW! GO!" That had done the trick for the two retreated inside and were probably gathering the kids in a momentary hiding spot.

Nightingale should have been paying attention..but she wasn't. Finally the Balverine had racked her across the chest and the force of it's claws pulled her off of it, she pulled her sword out from him and stumbled down on her back. She winced and groaned in pain and her eyes widened upon seeing the Balverine pin her arms and legs down. It screamed in her face which sent bone chilling shivers down her spine, it's 9-10 inch claws rose above it's head and there seemed to have been a bloody smile on it's face, the slobber slightly ran down it's jaw and it prepared to sink it's claws slowly and painfully into Nightingale. She kicked and shoved and wretched but nothing seemed to get this one off of her. This was a tough spot…wasn't it. Suddenly the undeveloped baby kept popping up into her mind and she felt the tears run down her face, 'B-but..I wanted it to see the world..' Suddenly the claws came down only to suddenly stop an inch away from her chest. She screamed out as she saw a sword tip protrude from it's chest, now that was an inch away from her FACE. A few drops of warm and dark blood dripped onto her face and the Balverine was mercilessly pulled off of her. There was Ben, staring down at her with horror. He gently pulled her up and examined her a bit. A wince came upon his features as he noticed the rack across her chest. She smiled and then wiped away the blood and tears and tightly hugged him. "Oh god, Night. You really are crazy, I think I'm going to have to find you a medical professional." A tutting Reaver strutted over and clucked his tongue, "I told her to get herself one ages ago. She didn't listen to me though. What a _lunatique petit oiseau_." Nightingale slightly smiled and then sniffled a bit and turned away from Ben's brotherly embrace and knocked on the door. A cautious Lola peeked out the door and gasped upon seeing Nightingale's slightly wavering figure. Lola smiled widely and nearly knocked her down as she embraced her, Tyler too. Amanda and Sylive shook their heads as the approached and joined the group hug too, these two seemed a bit more tattered then the others. They had fight running through their blood, they had a few cuts and racks here and there but they were ok. "Oh, god. The Balverines are dead, there are no more coming…no more. And that's thanks to Ben for preparing us. Actually, that's thanks to all of you, if you guys didn't come. I don't think we would have been motivated enough to protect ourselves. Thank you, Princess." All the girls bowed down. Nightingale groaned loudly and they all stood up with confused looks on their faces, "Can you guys stop already with the Princess stuff!" A giggle escaped them but they were interrupted by a loud screaming. The rejoicing figures swiveled upon seeing white claws protruding out of Jacob's back. The girls sucked in deep and sharp breaths upon seeing the sight. Nightingale shook her head and put a hand up to her mouth, "Jacob…" a growl escaped her lips and she narrowed her eyes at the White Balverine who finally decided to show itself. 'That must be what the statue does…changes the user into a Balverine leader. Conner is the White Balverine…oh goody.'

Nightingale slowly climbed down the rickety stairs of the house and walked out towards Conner until she was only 10 feet away from him, she folded her arms across her chest and glowered at the extremely towering figure. There was the blood of a few unlucky villagers on his snow white fur coat. The blood was dripping from his mouth and he stared at her with those glowing yellow eyes. Nightingale had to admit, he was extremely intimidating but she wouldn't admit the fact that she was indeed shivering like crazy. "You finally decided to show yourself, you coward." A low growl hissed through his razor sharp teeth, sharp enough to easily tear through skin and Avo knows what else. A growling and eerie voice racked through the vocal cords of Conner and he began to speak back to Nightingale, "It seems as though this village was much more than I thought. But here I am, to end the life of this village and begin it anew. Starting with YOU." Nightingale gritted her teeth as she heard shuffling behind her, she held an arm out and turned her head to see Ben cocking his steel flintlock rifle, she gave him a weary smile and shook her head. He knew he couldn't argue with her any further. He just gritted his teeth and looked away. She turned her head back around and pulled out her sword, Conner was glaring at her with twiddling fingers. She clenched her jaw and spotting a barrel of knocked over Silver liquid. She raised an eyebrow while keeping her chilling eyes on the bastard in front of her. She kneeled down and soaked her glowing and ragged sword with Silver. An ominous chuckle escaped from Conner and she stood back up and they both began to circle each other. "Do you think a little Silver will stop me?" Nightingale smirked and gently shrugged, "Well, yes, I do." If she hadn't been busy talking, she would have dodged his attack earlier, he came lunging at her throat. Her eyes widened and she rolled clumsily out of the way at the last second. 'Shit. He's fast.' Nightingale back flipped out of the way from another racking attack and ducked out of the way as he tried to swipe at her yet again. She began to back up fast as he came at her, she was thinking, procrastinating along the way. 'Ok..ok. I got to think.' Nightingale ducked yet again and slashed her sword across his rock hard abdomen, he screeched out and the blood poured down his legs. She smirked and rolled out of the way as he attempted to grab her. She wasn't fast enough as she backed up yet again with her sword poised in attack. He quickly knocked her down and dug his claws into her left shoulder, she winced and attempted to kick at him. A chuckle escaped from Conner, his breath had the smell of blood and decay, she wanted to puke. Maybe if she puked on his face, he would get off of her. She struggled to inch her sword foreword and finally sunk it inside, twisting it a few times. Conner screeched out loud and she quickly kicked him in the jaw and scrambled out from under him. His blood blotted her corset and pants and it trailed down her fingers, at this moment she didn't care. The pain in her left shoulder was starting to affect her, her swings would be much slower now. 'Damn him.' She clenched her jaw and looked around for something that might affect him even more. An idea clouded her mind, 'The torches.' She snapped back into reality as Conner roared out loud and slowly began to make his way towards her, she stared and then finally began dashing off towards the entrance which in this case was much closer to her. He galloped right at her heels, snapping his jaws at her. She slashed her sword out at him, hoping to at least hit him…which, she did. It must have been her lucky day. He knocked her down yet again but she kicked both her legs out and delayed him, then she scrambled back up again and went straight for a Silver nitrate torch.

Nightingale finally grab a hold of one and held it up defensively as she looked around for Conner. She furrowed her eyebrows and looked all around, 'Where is he?!' He was now using the darkness as an advantage. "Shit.." there were a few light colors in the sky, that meant that dawn was coming, and fast. She heard a few growls here and there but they seemed to be jumping off in different spots. Suddenly, the world started to shake, her vision was blurring and there seemed to be two of everything. Her skull was smacked into the town wall that circled the village and she was literally starting to see stars. Blood was pouring down her face and off her chin but she could rarely feel the pain, she was too dizzy to notice. Nightingale began to crawl her way towards the middle of the village and she knew that Conner was right behind her, chuckling and scoffing at her ridiculous attempt to get away. The torch was in her hand, she knew it and so was her sword..but she couldn't feel them in her hands. Finally Conner roared and pinned her down all ways, wincing at the sudden closeness of the Silver nitrate torch, she took this as her chance and stabbed it at his face. He screeched and roared out, cupping his hands on his face…she had seared the left side of his face and he was blind in that eye now. He raised his claws up in the air and was about to bring them down when suddenly, there was a roar off into the distance…but the padding of claws was coming closer and closer until..**THUD**! Everything was a blur to Nightingale right now, but she could sense Ben and the others kneeling down next to her while staring at the scene ahead of them with extremely shocked expressions. Amanda looked down at Nightingale and gently shook her right arm while padding a cloth about her head to stop the bleeding, "Night..come on. Nightingale, look at this. Come on, get yourself together." She sighed deeply and closed her eyes for a few seconds before controlling herself, she opened them again and she could finally hear everyone around her correctly, everything was a big blur anymore but she was still unable to move around without falling over. Ben sighed with relief and pointed at the scene, "I don't think Balverines attack their leaders…or do they?" Nightingale's eyes widened and she swiveled her head around to find a random Balverine clawing and hissing at Conner, honestly, they were raking at each other and moving so fast, it was starting to hurt her eyes. "No..they don't." Lola put a hand up to her hair and cocked her head to the side, "B-but. What's wrong with it's eyes?" Ben looked at Lola and then snapped his head towards the mysterious Balverine that was truthfully kicking Conner's sorry ass. "Eyes…?" His own eyes widened upon seeing the mysterious Balverine's eyes, 'Blue…green..? Why aren't they yellow? Oh Avo!' Ben stood up and made sure that no one was attacking the two fighting Balverines. Well, no one was, the villagers that had circled around the fight were just too shocked to do anything about it. "Night! Night! That's Lizzie, goddamnit, it's Lizzie!" Nightingale shot straight up, only to wince and kneel back down. "Lizzie..what is she doing here..?" The herbalist shoved past people to find the group of younglings, she kneeled down next to the Princess and clucked her tongue, "Well. I got what you wanted, here, this is the antidote. Now, let's just look at the nasty gash on your hea-" Nightingale carefully moved the herbalist aside, "No, not now! But thank you for the antidote, I've got something else on my mind." She stood up carefully watching as Balverine Lizzie and Conner seemed to be in the midst of a sword fight. Conner was definitely weakened due to the Silver nitrate blinding him, Lizzie had kicked him down and sent her claws sinking into his chest. There was a terrible ripping sound and a horrible stench of blood as Lizzie ripped out Conner's heart. But there was another horrible sound…Nightingale didn't know if it was the scream from Lizzie or the protruding white claws that spooked her. But Conner was dead and his claws were through Lizzie's chest. Lizzie threw the heart at Conner and pulled out his claws only to send another round of screaming. "LIZZIE! NOOOO!" Tears were pouring down Nightingale's face upon seeing her best friend shift back to normal only to seem to be losing so much blood. Nightingale grabbed the blanket that was around her and slipped and glided on the bloody ground.

Nightingale didn't care if the blood splattered over her she wrapped the blanket around Lizzie and tried to ignore the blinding light of dawn finally rising. She rested Lizzie on her lap and tried to smile but it only came out as wailing sobs, her vision was blurring and shifting due to the tears endlessly forming in her eyes. "Lizzie..Lizzie, stay with me, you're alright. I know you are alright. Come on. Say something, PLEASE!" Nightingale carefully and gently shook Lizzie a bit. Lizzie looked up to see her best friend in tact, she was glad, her mission was accomplished. Nightingale wasn't hurt. She wasn't dead. The pain was unbearable, she had tears forming at the edges of her big aquamarine eyes, she sniffled a bit and it was hard to swallow. "N..Night. D-don't you dare cry." She put a shaky hand up to the young girl's cheek and smiled painfully. Nightingale stared at her with a horrified look, she gently rested her hand over Lizzie's and began to speak, "You are my b-best friend. You hear me?! You can't leave me here! Who is going to be my sister, my friend, my mother? I'll have no one..please Lizzie…don't leave…stay with me. We're going to get help, an-and we're going to make you all better again. Ok..Ok…?! Lizzie…Lizzie..? LIZZIE?" Lizzie smiled up at her one last time before gently patting her cheek, "I will always be there for you, always. Raise a good baby for me, won't you.." her voice trailed off and her eyes stared gaping up at Nightingale. The pale face stared up at her. Nightingale gasped and then scanned her body, it was all pale and still, the blood was coming out. She gently shook her, then she held her wrist and checked for a pulse…..none. "Lizzie? LIZZIE! NOOOOOO! You can't leave me! YOU CAN'T!" The sobbing was too over powering, she was wailing and screaming, she was raking her nails through the grass and dirt until they were bloody and raw. "YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME! LIZZIE! PLEASE! NOO!" Nightingale leaned over Lizzie's body. The phial of antidote still in her hands.

**~OOO~**

****A/N: Not to sound all conceited or anything, but I think I sorta cried in this chapter…I couldn't help it! I'm actually really emotional so it's easy for this kind of stuff to effect me, lol. Anyway, well, you read what happened…but what will happen now? Why don't you guys guess? I won't say anymore then this. Anywho! Fav and review to your heart's content, usual Disclaimer! Love you guys, can't wait for the next chapttteerrr!****


	20. Chapter 20

**Nightingale**

**Chapter 20: Graced**

**"The purpose of our lives is to be happy."**

**-Dalai Lama **

**~OOO~**

Nightingale hiccuped and gasped for air. She shook her head, her face was dirt, blood, and tear streaked. She didn't even care if she looked horrible…her face was scrunched up with pain and agony. Her best friend was dead before her and there was nothing she could do. She couldn't even allow Lizzie to rest peacefully as a whole human…her soul was still half Balverine too. "This i-i-is all my fault. If I stopped her from coming with me to the Masquerade..none of this would have happened. She st-.." she puckered her lips and sobbed yet again. "She still wo-would have been alive." Nightingale gripped the phial of antidote tightly and leaned over Lizzie's body yet again.

Footsteps stopped before her and she felt a gentle hand pat her shoulder. She turned her head, expecting to find Ben wearily smiling down at her but instead, she saw Reaver who stared down at her with little to no emotion. Her eyes scanned the crowd of left over villagers until she laid her eyes on the weeping Ben. He stood there, frozen as a statue, staring down at the ground with a solemn look while streams of tears flowed down his face. "Even if I didn't know her well enough, I think she would still have found a way to get to you." Nightingale snapped her gray eyes up at him with a bit of surprise lingering on her features. Then she looked down at Lizzie and nodded slowly. Nightingale was glad to know that he stepped back away from her, understanding her pain. Another pair of feet stepped up behind her and he kneeled down.

"We have to prepare a burial for her, as well as the townsfolk who have died." Nightingale's eyes snapped up to Ben's as he began to pry her blood caked fingers from Lizzie's limp body, she screamed and shook her head. "NO! No! I'm not ready! NOO! There must be a way! NO! Stop it, Ben! PLEASE! Unhand me Reaver! Let go!" She hated the fact that Reaver and Ben were beginning to understand each other, it was no fair that they ganged up on her like this. She scrummed and kicked, trying to get Reaver to loosen his grip on her, she screamed and yelled, she bit and tore but no one would budge to her side. She cried and watched as Ben carefully and tenderly held Lizzie's dead body in his arms. From the midst of the crowd, came a woman who shoved and pushed people out of the way. Nightingale stopped moving and narrowed her eyes at the woman, she was the herbalist. What did she want at such a time?!

"What is with all this yelling?! Why are you disturbing the peace of the now dead?! Instead of all this yelling, why won't you believe?" The woman had specifically turned to Nightingale and pointed her wooden staff at her while waving a fist in the air. Nightingale spit on the ground and shook her head, "What's there to believe in? SHE'S DEAD! What's there to believe in!? NO ONE IS GOING TO HELP HER! NO ONE BUT ME! What's there to believe in, H-?!" The woman had strutted up to her and raised her hand, slapping her painfully across the face. Nightingale's head froze to the side, she didn't even feel the pain until after she realized that the woman had slapped her. "GOD! There is a God! AVO!" Nightingale turned her wide eyes towards the woman and narrowed them angrily at her, "He's done nothing before! What difference is there NOW?!" The woman stamped down the staff and shook her head, "Silence your tongue, Princess. Silence it and listen, listen for once and you will understand." Nightingale flinched at the sudden anger of the woman. Where was she trying to get at?

Nightingale shrugged away from Reaver's grasp and looked down at the ground with awkwardness, she wiped away a stray strand of inky jet black hair and looked back up at the herbalist. "Continue." The woman grunted with approval and stamped her staff lightly against the ground this time, "There is a way that may work, child." Nightingale's eyes widened and she took a peek at Reaver's face to see no emotion, only a curt nod. Then she turned back towards the old woman, who's braided white hair blew in the slight breeze. "Avo is the key. You said that he hasn't done anything before. You are wrong child, very, very wrong." She cocked her head to the side and wiped away a trickle of blood. "Avo gave you a brother, a mother, a father, a butler, a title, a power, a castle, servants, food, authority, clothing. And you're telling me that he gave you NOTHING? Have you totally thrown out of your head what you have seen in the past months? Do you understand now? Avo has given you what he hasn't given US. Do you see now?" Nightingale stared at the woman with a brokenhearted expression, she felt thousands of stabs of guilt. They were burning her everywhere, sinking into every pore. She nodded after a while and then looked up at the woman with a weary smile. "Yes, I understand. But what will I do to get Avo's attention?"

The herbalist finally smiled and then grabbed the rebellious Princess's right hand and placed it over the area where her heart rested. "You will pray, pray with all your might. With all your heart. I have heard…stories, tales, that if a person who has a pure reason, prays to Avo for one whole day, then their wish shall be granted." Then the woman turned and pointed at the now rising sun. "If you will, you must pray till the next time the sun rises. Now I have a question for you, Princess." Nightingale's ears perked up and she nodded, her hand still over her heart. "Will you do it?" She looked down at the ground but took no thought into her head, she already knew what she had to do. "I will. I will pray with all my might, I will pray even if my body screams for sleep and rest. I will do it. Lizzie must live, I can not just leave her. So yes, I will do it." The herbalist smiled with warmth on her face, she patted the Princess's shoulder and began to guide her along while whistling at Ben. "You must pray with all your might, we will give you an empty room to do that in. Boy, bring the girl's body to my shop." Then she turned her attention back to the Princess, "We can preserve her body for one whole day, after that. It's over." Nightingale nodded with determination in her eyes, "We have work to do then." The herbalist guided Nightingale towards her shop for an empty room while the other townsfolk began to make graves for the fallen people of the Silverpines Village.

**~OOO~**

Skylar gasped and sucked in a deep breath, she turned towards the now rising sun and sunk to the ground. She squeezed her bright green eyes shut and clasped a hand over her chest. Her body was on fire and she could feel the trickling of cold sweat travel down her body. 'Something isn't right, something feels wrong. Why..why do I feel like this?' She crawled her way to the rose garden and sprawled herself across the stone bench that both she and Logan had sat on while finding the now free Roger who occasionally visited them. "S-something..something..isn't right. I feel as if my heart is being torn in two. What's happening." Skylar looked down at her ring that was designed for her, her sister had one as well…but, what's this? Why is it so dull? She swore the gems were much brighter than they were now..strange. She wonder what that meant. That wasn't normal at all..and neither was what was happening to her now. Maybe her ring had a connection with..something. She closed her eyes and clasped her hands together. Praying silently to herself, 'Oh please let everything be alright. Something feels off, please Avo. Please.' She let out a ragged breath and felt a little better, though she was feeling a bit more on the dizzy side now. The cold beads of sweat had evaporated leaving her with a slight chill down her spine.

Skylar huddled together. Hugging her knees to her chest and trying to calm her slightly chattering teeth. There was slight rustling behind her and her eyes snapped open with shock. 'It's probably Logan! Ahh…gotta do something…normal!' Skylar scrambled up to her feet and decided that she would pretend dancing around..no matter how foolish it would look. Besides, it was normal enough for her to usually do. Just as she spotted his figure, she felt herself lose balance. "AHH!" Skylar soon felt her face collide with the grassy ground. Her dress blew everywhere and she was sure that she was no longer able to get back up.

Logan stared down at his unofficial Fiance with wide eyes, 'What was she doing?!' Her bum was in the air and her dress was everywhere, and worst yet! Her face was flat on the ground! He blinked out of his surprise and paced over to her and kneeled down while gently picking her up to see if she was alright, she seemed to look fine. But there seemed to be something wrong..her expression told him so. "Please tell me you weren't doing something stupid." Skylar rubbed her nose and wiggled around a little before staring up at his icy gray eyes, she pouted and put on her thinking face, "Define stupid." Logan sighed and then ran a hand through her hair, attempting to get pieces of grass out of it. "Doing something that can get you hurt, embarrassed, or in trouble." Skylar bit her lip and then looked up at him again to find him staring straight at her. "Then yes, I did do something stupid." Logan sighed again and then grabbed her chin to examine her features carefully in case there was internal bleeding or bruises. He just didn't want her to be hurt. "Do you have a fever?" Skylar blew a piece of hair out of her face, "I think not." He continued to push her on, "A rash, bump, does anything hurt?" Skylar giggled out at his cute rambling, "No, no, and no. I think I'm perfectly fine." Logan stared down at her and then suspiciously narrowed his eyes.

Skylar didn't like it when he did that, she knew he was on to something. Logan was a quick guy, he could catch anything even if it was something that wasn't in front of him. "Your expression tells me otherwise, Skylar." Skylar looked back up at him with a shocked expression and then laughed while gently swatting at his face, "Don't be silly, Logo. There's not-" He gently grabbed her hands and stared at her with a slight smile, "You can tell me anything, and you know that." Skylar looked at him for a while, scanning his face. Then she looked down at the ground before cuddling into his embrace. "There's something wrong. Something is off…just now, when you were making your way here, I had a kind of attack..I don't know." Logan went rigid and held her closer, "Tell me what happened." She took a deep breath and then continued, "Well, my body was hurting and burning up and there was cold sweat everywhere. After a while, I was ok, but it wasn't normal…it didn't have that normal feeling to it." She could feel his nod and then pulled her hand away from him and showed him her ring, "My ring. These jewels had a literal glowing effect to them, look. Don't they seem…dull?" Logan gently held her hand in his and stared down at it, he knew what the ring meant and he knew that the jewels indeed used to glow. He furrowed his eyes with confusion, "You're right. But what does that mean?"

Skylar shrugged with confusion and bit her lip, she put her hand down and sighed. "I don't know Logan. I feel like it connects…to something. But to what? I don't know." Logan sighed and then held her tighter, he did not have the answers she was searching for and he was just as curious and confused as she. "It's alright, don't worry about it." Skylar nodded solemnly and rested the back of her head against his chest while staring at the sky. "I suppose." Logan tsked and then turned her around, forcing her to look at him. He leaned in close, inches away from her face. Logan rested his forehead against hers and stared into her bright green eyes that he swore could drown him. "I promise." Skylar looked down momentarily and then back up at him and nodded with a weary smile, he grinned back and then began to lean in for a kiss while she closed her eyes and waited.

**~OOO~**

Skylar shuffled around in the bed, she then turned her body towards the grand window to stare at the moon, who's bright rays traveled into her room and soaked it with a chill. "I can't sleep! UGH!" She laid face down into the pillow and after awhile of suffocation she plopped down on her back again, "That didn't work, well, obviously, I think I would have died in my sleep if I did fall asleep like that." She shivered and then rolled over to her side and shut her eyes, every time she did, she swore she saw her and her little sister running around their old yard playing tag and hide and go seek. Then as she opened them, she found nothing. She groaned again and then rolled over to her other side. Nada. Then she finally decided that she had to try something new, she sat down as if she was praying and then fell onto the pillow with her bum in the air. "Nope." After trying to hang over the side of the bed, and with her feet to the pillow. She decided that for some stupid reason, she couldn't find a way to sleep. Her eyes just didn't want to close! Skylar yelled out and fought her way out of the bed, sprawling her blanket in a big heap on the bed. She grabbed her silk shawl and skittered out in the hallway. It was dark and eerie at night. She wondered why she hadn't noticed that before.

Skylar stopped a few times to look at the different painted pictures that hung the walls, they weren't cluttered or anything but some of them were interesting. She stopped at a particular one of the whole family. There was the Hero Queen and the brave King Stephen along with Prince Logan and little Princess Nightingale. This painting must have been many years old because of course, Logan did not look like a little child anymore. She smiled and then turned away from it, she tip toed up to Logan's grand bedroom door and gently pushed it open, slightly muttering to herself because the door was squeaking slightly. Then she shut it behind her and quickly scampered along to find that Logan was indeed asleep. She was glad to see that her scolding took for the better. Pushing her congrats aside, she pushed away the blanket and scooted in, then she gently began to tap Logan's shoulder. She was getting no response. Then she tried again only to receive one heck of a snore. Personally, it sounded like a dog wailing for help. Skylar put a hand over her mouth to stop her from laughing but she soon couldn't take it anymore and burst out screeching loudly. This indeed alerted Logan and he rolled over with a shocked expression to see Skylar laughing her ass off. He quickly sat up and ran a hand through his inky black hair. "W-what are you doing here?!" Skylar stopped laughing and began to wipe way some tears of joy.

"I wasn't able to sleep, and I swear, I tried every single position. Nada." She sat up as well and hugged her shawl closer to herself. Logan sighed exasperated and then looked over at her again to find her smiling giddily, he looked around and then back at her, "What?" Skylar giggled and then hugged her knees to her chest. "When we are in our bed together, please tell me that I won't have to deal with your strange dog wailing snore." Even in the slight darkness, she could see the heat creep up to Logan's cheeks which sent her into another giggling spree. He chuckled himself and then leaned against the bed frame while she stopped and stared down at her nails. "Why couldn't you sleep?" Skylar looked up to find him staring at her with a cock of the head. "I well..I don't know. I just couldn't." Logan looked down at his blanket as well, finally realizing that she was wearing nothing more than a night gown and a shawl, he couldn't help but notice that she looked like a little doll. Delicate and breakable to the touch. "One of those days?" She looked back up and then smiled wearily, "I guess so. Can I sleep with you?" He looked at her with shock and then rubbed the back of his neck, she looked so innocent while asking him, he was sure nothing awkward was on her mind like there was in his.

Finally, Logan nodded and then grinned at the way Skylar plopped herself down, he slinked down into the blanket and turned to stare at her back. He wasn't sure if her eyes were open or not, but he wanted to comfort her. She seemed to be in such a strange state now, something strange was going on and he wanted to comfort her. He cleared his throat and slinked closer to her until he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. His chin rested above her head and he heard a gentle sigh from her and knew that she was feeling better. "Good night, Skylar." Another sigh before she lifted her hand to gently touch his face, "Good night, Logan."

**~OOO~**

Nightingale wiped away at her puffy eyes and stared down at the peaceful figure of Lizzie. All day, until sunrise, she had prayed and prayed and cried and cried to get what…? Nothing. Nothing at all. Lizzie wasn't back and she wasn't alive. She was in a white gold craved coffin with flowers around her body and face. Nightingale held a white rose in her hands and then leaned down and gently placed in Lizzie's hand. Now she looked as if she was asleep, she couldn't see any battle wounds because she was wrapped in white silky cloth. Nightingale smiled, feeling the tears come on again. She leaned in and placed a kiss on her forehead and then leaned away. "You were my sister, mother, and best friend. I love you, Lizzie." Then she stepped back and turned to Ben who was holding back the tears, she placed a hand on his arm and then shook her head, "Try to hold as much as you can. Don't be like me. It only hurts her soul if you cry a lot." Ben smiled and then placed a kiss on her hand to reassure her, then he kneeled down to her figure and gently caressed his hand through her golden locks. "When I first met you, I couldn't take my eyes off of you. I knew you were different, I didn't love you for only your looks. You were a great woman. I love you, Lizzie." Ben didn't care what people thought, he was going to do it anyway, he didn't give a damn. No one could judge him. He leaned in and gently placed a kiss on her slightly blood drained lips. They were cold to the touch and it sent strange chills down his spine.

Ben finally leaned away and stood next to Nightingale who was attired in all white, she had a white hood over her head and she stared painfully at her dead best friend. He clasped a hand in hers and squeezed it gently to reassure her, finally a few men closed the coffin and Nightingale gasped, she struggled against Ben's grip and stared at him to find him slowly shaking his head, "She's gone, Night." Nightingale bit her lip and then nodded her head, the only thing you could see was the glass casing, and through it, revealed Lizzie's face, as beautiful as ever, even in death.

Nightingale stood at Lizzie's grave site and then began to read the stone carving on the tombstone, she smiled slightly and placed a pile of roses in front of the tombstone. Nightingale shook her head and felt a few tear drops dribble down her face. The shuffling of feet could be heard and soon the herbalist stood next to her and stared straight out towards the horizon. "I'm sorry, lass. You did what you could." Nightingale turned towards the woman and wearily smiled, "No need to be sorry. She's in a better place now, and I know she'll always be with me. No matter what." Then the herbalist patted the young Princess's back and they both began to turn away from the site, soon they were many feet away from Lizzie's fresh grave.

Suddenly, there was loud scratching and cracking heard, Nightingale stopped dead in her tracks and perked her ears, she turned to look at the herbalist to find that the woman was just as shocked. "Did y-you hear that?" The herbalist turned her way and then nodded stonily, they both turned around to see the Lizzie's grave site rumbling, the dirt bounced and there was a strange white light emitting from there. Nightingale gasped and the tears were beginning to freely flow down her face, she turned to see Ben and Reaver's figure disappearing. She screamed at the top of her lungs, "BEN! REAVER! COME QUICK!" All the townsfolk including the two travelers turned their heads at the sudden outburst to find Nightingale running for her life back to Lizzie's grave. Nightingale fell down to her knees and quickly began to claw at the ground, a hole was forming and soon a long arm pulled its self out of the ground. She let out a screech and then turned to see Ben fumbling towards her, she gasped and then suddenly began rampaging for words, "H-help me!" They both began pulling away mounds of dirt and weeds and finally. Lizzie had pulled herself out of her grave. Dirt cluttered and gasping. Nightingale's jaw dropped and she stared at her now alive friend who seemed to have come back from the land of the dead.

Lizzie panted and gasped for air, dirt crusted her nails and her silk makeshift clothing. She coughed and spit out dirt then she looked up to see both Ben and Nightingale staring at her with dumbstruck looks. She giggled and then her aquamarine eyes scanned the line of just as shocked townsfolk. Lizzie pulled herself out and then helped Nightingale up, "What? You thought that I was leaving?" Nightingale screamed out with the top of her lungs and collided into Lizzie, not giving a care to how dirty she was. Ben joined into the hug and they all tightly embraced each other.

Lizzie freed herself from her best friend and crush and cocked her head to the side while staring at her hands and body with a confused look. "B-but how am I alive?" This time the herbalist stepped out and patted Nightingale on the shoulder, "We can tell you all about it once we get you all washed up." Lizzie smiled at the woman with a flushed look and then turned towards Nightingale as the old woman addressed her, "Dear, do you still have the antidote?" Nightingale jumped up and then rummaged through her cloak and pulled out the phial. She turned towards Lizzie and smiled bright, "Well, the antidote. You might want to take it now." Lizzie hugged her best friend yet again and then finally drank till the last drop, there was a slight stinging sensation coursing throughout her body, but after a few grunts and groans, it was ALL over. Ben closed in on Lizzie and wrapped his arm around her waist, "I don't care how dirty you are, come here." Lizzie laughed and then gently molded her soft pink lips against Ben's. There were hoots and screams everywhere, people were hugging and cheering. Nightingale smiled and then pulled Ben away, "Alright bucko, you can do that later!" Amidst all the slightly confused and depressed people, she suddenly stopped smiling. Her eyes widened and she stared down at the ground as it hit her, hard. Then she screamed out and held her arms up. "Wait! Wait!" Nightingale franticly turned towards the herbalist and moved her hands in strange motions and gestures, "I-if Avo brought Lizzie back to life..then he can do the same for all these fallen people!" She quickly gestured to the fresh mounded graves. There were sudden gasps and sighs, people turned to each other and gave each other strange looks. Then there were a few loud murmurs of, "Yees!" And "If she gets to do it, so do we!" And "Hell ya! I will go through anything!" Nightingale turned away from the slightly flustered and angered crowd and then looked at the Herbalist with a smile. The herbalist stared back at her with a stern set of lips.

Then she turned towards the remaining village folk and then pointed at Nightingale and Lizzie, "You saw how much strain and pressure the Princess went through to get her best friend back. She didn't sleep, she didn't fidget, by the time she was done. She was half dead and shaking. Are you all willing to go through that, those people who have lost a loved one, are you willing?" A few minutes of loud murmurs and grunts went on, the herbalist turned towards the rebellious Princess and shook her head. Nightingale stepped up and smiled while yelling out, "I will help." The herbalist then raised a hand and grunted with disapproval, "That cannot be. Only one person who the loved one knew must take the sacrifice and pray for them for one whole day. It is only Avo and the prayer, no one else must intrude. It is now up to those who want to take the sacrifice and bring their loved ones back." Then they both turned their attentions to the lost crowd. Finally, after a few more moments, the people spoke. The people who wanted to go through the process stepped forward and nodded, taking the chance. The herbalist nodded and then finally began ushering everyone back to the village. "It is up to those people now, may Avo be with you."

Nightingale took the chance of greeting everyone and wishing those who were taking the chance to pray good luck. She wanted what happened to her to happen to them as well. Then everyone would be happy..there wouldn't be all this uncomfortable anxiety and disturbance. There was a hand on her shoulder and she turned her head up to see Reaver smirking down, "You did well, Princess, you did well." She gave him a quirky smile and then snorted wearily, there were dark circles under her eyes and she looked as if she lost 10 pounds. "What no sarcastic ass comments?" He chuckled uncomfortably and shook his head, "You're lucky, _ma belle_, I decided to spare you." She raised an eyebrow before turning to her now alive best friend. Nightingale linked her arm through Lizzie's and cocked her head to the side, "Why don't we get you all cleaned up?" Ben grunted in disapproval and she narrowed her eyes at him, "You'll see her in a few, right Lizzie?" Lizzie giggled girlishly and nodded while giving Ben one of her innocent smiles. "Of course."

Amanda, Sylvie, Tyler, and Lola painfully strutted up to the reunited girls and linked their arms through the other two girls' and smiled evilly. "Don't forget us, we're going to help too." Nightingale smiled, and they headed into the village, the people stopped in the middle to stare up at the herbalist who stamped her staff down and raised her arms, "Listen, listen everyone. We will be holding a service in the tavern tonight for all of the fallen ones. The ones who can attend, please do." After that, the sea of people deceased as quickly as it had come. Nightingale stopped outside of the wash house and stared up at the now early sky,

"Thank you, Avo."

**~OOO~**

****A/N: Ahh…yes, I decided to update/edit this chapter for a certain purpose. Thank you to all those who have faved this fanfic, please keep them coming XD. Anyway, now on to the reason why I did so. Recently, I got a review from a Guest, and I truly thank that person for bringing this up, I read their review and then it suddenly hit me, and hard. I felt so damn guilty afterwards and then read this chapter over to notice that indeed. Instead of having the people celebrating, they should have indeed be having the same chance that Nightingale had, So I decided to edit it for that reason. And I'm very sorry to those who might have read the old version of this, I am really sorry if I hurt anyone's feelings or anyone felt very strange about the old version. That is the very reason I changed it to make it more realistic. It was just that I hadn't updated in a long time and as I frantically typed, I guess it didn't really cross my mind until I had read that review. Again, thank you Guest, you opened my eyes. :) Anyway, here is the revised version, Love you guys, usual disclaimer and I can't wait for the next chapter! :D****


End file.
